Chennai: The Centre has said that the Terms of Reference (ToR) for Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu reservoir project would be issued only after receiving clearance from the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and final approval from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).Union of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Friday that the Centre has not received any proposal for granting forest clearance for the project. He eas responding to a query by PMK MP Anbumani Ramadoss on the status of the project.Kirti Vardhan Singh said approval from CWMA and the Jal Shakti ministry was essential before issuing ToR, given that the project involves an inter-state water dispute.“The concurrence of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and CWMA on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project is still awaited. No proposal for granting forest clearance under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, has been received,” the minister said in his written response. The Act applies to proposals involving the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes, such as constructing reservoirs or other structures within forest areas.The response comes days after Union Jal Shakti Minister Raj Bhushan Choudhary’s recent statement in Parliament that the Supreme Court’s final verdict in 2018 on Cauvery dispute did not mandate Karnataka to obtain permission from lower riparian states, including Tamil Nadu, to build structures across the river within its borders.The remark triggered widespread backlash in Tamil Nadu, prompting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention and urging the withdrawal of the minister’s remarks. Political parties across the state, including the CPI, CPM, VCK, and PMK, have also strongly condemned the statement.While Raj Bhushan Choudhary’s statement was seen as a setback for TN, Kirti Vardhan Singh’s parliamentary reply is seen to strengthen the state’s stand as TN has been opposing Karnataka’s bid to obtain TOR.
