Panneerselvam seeks PM's intervention over K'taka's plan to construct reservoir at Mekedatu

Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advise the Karnataka Government not to proceed with their plan of construction of reservoirs at Mekedatu and also not to take up any scheme in the Cauvery basin without Tamil Nadu's prior permission.

"I write this letter to bring to your attention, the repeated violation of the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by Government of Karnataka. Karnataka continues with its intransigent stand to construct a reservoir at Mekedatu without obtaining any clearance from the Government of India, the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal or the Government of Tamil Nadu. According to media reports, the Government of Karnataka had allotted funds to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to construct a reservoir at Mekedatu," Panneerselvam said in his letter to Prime Minister Modi.

He also pointed out that former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa had last year urged the Centre to advise the Karnataka Government not to take up any schemes, including hydro electric projects in the Cauvery Basin of Karnataka, without the prior consent of the Government of Tamil Nadu.

She had also requested to advise the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, not to accord clearance to any projects of Karnataka in the river Cauvery till a permanent monitoring mechanism viz., the Cauvery Management Board is formed.

"I would like to reiterate that the unilateral action of the Government of Karnataka to proceed with the execution of two new reservoirs across Mekedatu would amount to gross violation of the Final Order dated 5.2.2007 as notified in the Gazette on 19.2.2013 as it would affect the flow of the water to Tamil Nadu," said Panneerselvam.

"I regret that the repeated request of my revered leader Puratchi Thalaivi Amma for the formation of the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for the effective implementation of the Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as notified in the Gazette of India on 19.2.2013 has not yet been acceded to," he added.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister also requested Prime Minister Modi to instruct the Ministry of Water Resources to constitute the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee without any further delay so as to ensure that the Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal is implemented in letter and spirit.