Mekedatu dam row: CM Vijay holds key meeting with officials

Chennai, July 31:

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay held a high-level meeting with senior officials today to discuss the ongoing Mekedatu dam issue, as tensions continue to rise between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the sharing of Cauvery river water.

The dispute over Cauvery water sharing has been a long-standing issue between the two states. The Karnataka government’s proposal to construct a new dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery has drawn strong opposition from Tamil Nadu, which fears it could adversely impact its agriculture sector. Farmers in Tamil Nadu have also been staging protests against the project.

The issue recently gained fresh traction in Parliament after PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss raised questions in the Rajya Sabha regarding the Mekedatu project. In response, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary stated in a written reply that the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment on the Cauvery dispute does not explicitly mandate obtaining consent from all basin states—Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry—before constructing structures across the river.

The Minister’s response sparked widespread criticism in Tamil Nadu, with several political parties expressing strong opposition.

Subsequently, Chief Minister Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging intervention in the matter. In his letter, he emphasised that the Cauvery is not merely a water source but a lifeline for lakhs of farmers. He called upon the Centre to uphold federal principles and judicial decisions while ensuring that due legal processes are followed in inter-state river disputes.

Meanwhile, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs of water per second to Tamil Nadu for a period of 15 days. This directive has triggered protests from farmers and pro-Kannada groups in Karnataka.

Against this backdrop, CM Vijay believes that the Mekedatu issue and the broader Cauvery water-sharing dispute can be resolved through dialogue. He has proposed a meeting with Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and has sent a letter in this regard. The Chief Minister is expected to visit Bengaluru on August 3 for talks.

In the meantime, Vijay convened a crucial consultation with the Law Minister Nirmal Kumar, the Chief Secretary, and other senior officials to deliberate on the state’s legal and strategic response to the issue.