Chennai: The State opposes Karnataka’s new plea regarding the approval to construct Mekedatu dam across river Cauvery. Condemning Karnataka, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami stated that Karnataka government has no right to construct reservoir on inter-State river without obtaining permission.
The CM today wrote a letter to Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar asking not to issue permission to Karnataka.
In the letter, the CM said, “The Government of Tamilnadu once again reiterates its strong objections to the project proposal of Karnataka, as it has no right to construct any reservoir on an inter-State river without the consent of the lower riparian State i.e. Tamilnadu.”
“The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court have found that the existing storage facilities available in the Cauvery Basin are adequate for storing and distributing water to the lower riparian States as per the monthly schedule prescribed by it. Therefore, the proposal of Karnataka to build a reservoir is ex-facie untenable and ought to be rejected outright. Further, the concurrence of Tamilnadu and of other co-basin States has not been obtained for the Project,” he writes in the letter.