Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealing for immediate intervention and stopping Karnataka from proceeding with the proposed Mekedatu Reservoir Project across the Cauvery River. In a letter to the PM Modi on Tuesday, Vijay alleged that the project violates Supreme Court orders and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award.
In the detailed address, Tamil Nadu CM expressed deep concern over Karnataka’s announcement of a “Bhoomi Puja” for the Mekedatu project. He stated that the development has created widespread anxiety among farmers in Tamil Nadu who depend on the Cauvery waters for agriculture and livelihood.
The Tamil Nadu government reiterated that the project was never approved under the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) Final Award, which was upheld by the Supreme Court in its landmark judgment on February 16, 2018.
In the letter, Tamil Nadu CM emphasised that the Cauvery basin has already been classified as a water-deficient basin, with the available water at 50% dependability fully allocated among the riparian states.
“You may be well aware that a solution to the sensitive Cauvery water dispute was obtained after a long legal battle lasting about three decades, and the Judgment dated February 16, 2018, is under implementation,” the Chief Minister wrote.
“Mekedatu Project is not in the list of projects permitted by the Tribunal, which has been affirmed by the above-mentioned Judgment. There is no scope for additional utilisation or for creating a new huge storage reservoir, since the Cauvery basin is found to be a deficit basin and the available water has already been allocated to the party States. Therefore, planning any new project across Cauvery or its tributaries, other than those specifically permitted by the Tribunal in its Final Award as affirmed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, would be tantamount to interfering with the said Judgment,” added Vijay.
According to the Tamil Nadu government, Karnataka’s plan to construct a massive reservoir with a storage capacity of 67.16 TMC near the Tamil Nadu border would obstruct the natural flow of water that the state is entitled to receive as per the Tribunal’s award and the Supreme Court verdict.
The letter highlighted that the Supreme Court has clearly ruled that upper riparian states must not undertake any actions that affect the scheduled water deliveries to lower riparian states. Tamil Nadu has therefore alleged that the proposed reservoir constitutes a direct violation of the apex court’s judgment.
The Chief Minister also pointed out that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had previously refused to grant Terms of Reference (ToR) for an Environmental Impact Assessment, citing the unresolved inter-state dispute over the project.
Tamil Nadu has criticised the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission (CWC) for continuing to entertain Karnataka’s proposal despite the state’s strong and consistent objections.
“Under this circumstance, I request you to instruct the concerned officers in the Ministry of Jal Shakti, as well in the Central Water Commission (CWC) to reject the DPR of Mekedatu project proposal, as it is in contravention to the Final Award of CWDT dated February 5, 2007, and the Judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and also advise the Government of Karnataka not to take up any new project without getting the concurrence of co-basin States and not to violate the Judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in totality,” Vijay further affirmed.
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Keralam and Puducherry have a long-standing dispute over the Cauvery River water, with the proposed Mekedatu dam being a new chapter in the conflict between the two bordering states.
The letter comes ahead of Vijay’s maiden Delhi visit after taking the oath of office of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. He is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.
According to sources, Vijay will leave from Chennai tomorrow morning, with senior state officials, including the Home Secretary, overseeing arrangements for the Chief Minister’s visit to the national capital.
Sources further said arrangements have been made for Vijay to hold discussions with PM Modi in Delhi. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister is also likely to meet senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi during the visit.
During the Delhi tour, Vijay is also scheduled to inaugurate a statue of Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar installed by the Tamil Nadu government at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
