Chennai: Chief minister C Joseph Vijay wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, urging him to instruct officers in the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject Karnataka’s detailed project report for Mekedatu project. He urged the PM to advise Karnataka not to initiate new projects without the concurrence of co-basin states.The CM noted that Karnataka govt announced a ‘bhoomi puja’ for the Mekedatu reservoir across the Cauvery River in violation of the Supreme Court’s judgment and the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s final award from Feb 2018.Referring to Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar’s remark that Tamil Nadu cannot stop the project, Vijay said, “The remark has caused deep concern among lakhs of Tamil Nadu farmers who depend on the river for their livelihood.”Pointing to the SC verdict on the inter-state water dispute, Vijay said the Mekedatu project is not among the projects affirmed by the SC. “Tamil Nadu is of the firm view that by proposing a new Mekedatu project with a storage capacity of 67.16 tmcft just upstream of the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, the Karnataka govt is attempting to block water flows generated in the uncontrolled catchment area,” Vijay said.He added that as an upper riparian state, Karnataka must not take any action that affects scheduled water deliveries to the lower riparian state. Consequently, building a new reservoir clearly violates the SC verdict, he said.“It is surprising that the MoJS and the CWC, which are mandated to implement the Supreme Court judgment dated Feb 16, 2018 in letter and spirit, are entertaining Karnataka’s proposal without considering Tamil Nadu’s plea. Under these circumstances, I request you to instruct officers concerned in the ministry and CWC to reject the Mekedatu DPR,” the letter said.
