Days after the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court over the Centre’s nod for the Mekedatu project, Masood Hussain, the Chairman of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) said the state’s opposition to the project has been recorded.
Speaking to reporters after the CWMA meeting in New Delhi on Monday, Masood Hussain said that the Mekedatu issue was not discussed in detail and was just listed for informing the members of the Authority. “In the meeting, while making opening statements, Tamil Nadu made strong reservations over the go-ahead given to Karnataka for the Mekedatu project. These objections have been taken into record by the CWMA,” he said.
Adding that the go-ahead given by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for the project was only for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and not for the construction of the dam, Masood Hussain said that the DPR must be approved by CWMA before the Ministry of Water Resources considers it.
Masood Hussain also said that Tamil Nadu has received its share of water from Cauvery this year due to good monsoons in the river basin. The next meeting of the CWMA is scheduled to be held in January.
There was a lot of anticipation around the meeting since the CWC recently permitted the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited to prepare the DPR for the construction of the multi-purpose balancing reservoir at Mekedatu across river Cauvery in Karnataka’s Ramanagara district. According to Tamil Nadu, the proposed project will adversely impact the farmers in the state which lies downstream the course of the river.
On November 29, the Government of Tamil Nadu moved the Supreme Court seeking it to restrain Karnataka from preparing the DPR. In its civil petition, Tamil Nadu stated, “Restrain the State of Karnataka from proceeding with the construction of two reservoirs at Mekedatu across river Cauvery as contemplated by the State of Karnataka or any other new projects across the river Cauvery in Karnataka which are not contemplated and/or permitted in the final decision of the Tribunal.” Slamming the CWC for its role, Tamil Nadu’s petition also stated that the water agency functioning under the Ministry of Water Resources “ought to have advised Karnataka to get the concurrence of Tamil Nadu and other co-basin States.”
In order to show the united opposition to Mekedatu project, the leader of opposition in Tamil Nadu MK Stalin has announced a protest on December 4 against the Central government.