Tamil Nadu Congress Chief Accuses Centre of Bias Over Mekedatu Dam Project
Tamil Nadu Congress leader Manik Tagore criticizes the Centre for favoring Karnataka in the Mekedatu dam project, urging legal action to protect water rights.
Chennai, November 14 (Daily Kiran) : The president of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, Manik Tagore, has accused the central government of discrimination against Tamil Nadu regarding the proposed Mekedatu dam in Karnataka. Speaking on Saturday, he urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to intensify legal efforts to safeguard the state’s rights to the Cauvery River water.
In a statement, Tagore claimed that the Centre approved the detailed project report for the dam without Tamil Nadu’s consent. He described this approval as detrimental to the state’s interests and those of its farmers. His remarks followed comments made by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during a meeting in Mysuru, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Tagore noted that Shivakumar asserted the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of Karnataka concerning the Mekedatu project and that permission was sought from the Centre to proceed. Tagore questioned this assertion, highlighting that Tamil Nadu had approached the Supreme Court against the proposed dam.
He argued that pushing for approval while the matter is pending in court undermines Tamil Nadu’s interests. The Congress leader emphasized that the project poses a threat to the water flow for agriculture in the Cauvery Delta.
Karnataka’s proposal includes a reservoir with a storage capacity of 67.15 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), which Tamil Nadu has consistently opposed. Tagore pointed out that Tamil Nadu’s annual entitlement of 177.25 TMC of water relies on the timely release from Karnataka’s reservoirs and rainfall from the intervening catchment areas.
He accused Karnataka of failing to release water according to the agreed schedule, forcing Tamil Nadu to take corrective measures. He warned that the proposed reservoir could trap water from uncontrolled catchment areas, contributing approximately 80 TMC to Tamil Nadu.
Rejecting Shivakumar’s assurance that the project would not harm Tamil Nadu, Tagore stated that the state cannot accept any construction that jeopardizes its share of Cauvery water. He also noted that proceeding without the consent of basin states would violate judicial directives governing river disputes.
Tagore urged Chief Minister Vijay to strengthen the state’s current opposition through appropriate legal actions. He stressed the need for continuous monitoring to protect Tamil Nadu’s water rights and to respond firmly to any moves that disregard the interests of the delta farmers.
