Tamil Nadu CM asks PM's intervention on Mekedatu reservoir dispute

Urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee without delay

Tamil Nadu chief minister O Panneerselvam has sought the intervention of Prime Minister to stop Karnataka from proceeding with the plan for construction of reservoir at Mekedatu.

The chief minister urged the PM to strongly advise the state not to embark upon any project without the consent of the Tamil Nadu government, as well as the concurrence of the Cauvery Management Board.

He also requested the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Water Resources to accede to the long-pending request for constituting the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, without any further delay.

In a letter handed over by Panneerselvam directly to the Prime Minister in a meeting in Delhi last week, he said, “... I request your personal intervention in the matter and urge you once again to advise the Karnataka government not to proceed with their illegal plan of construction of a reservoir at Mekedatu, in the guise of supplying drinking water, in utter disregard of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. Further, the Karnataka government may be strongly advised not to embark upon any project without the consent of the Government of Tamil Nadu as well as the concurrence of the Cauvery Management Board.”

The letter stated that no action had been taken by the Union government with regard to constituting the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for the effective implementation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal,2007, as yet.

The resolutions passed by the Tamil Nadu legislative Assembly on December 5, 2014, and March 27, 2015, and letters sent to the Prime Minister for immediate action have not been positively acted upon by the ministries concerned of the Centre, stated the letter.

It further noted the Karnataka government had challenged the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, and also has sought clarifications to the order before the Tribunal, which are still to be adjudicated upon.

Further, the interlocutory applications filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the action of the Karnataka government for constructing reservoirs across Cauvery, and seeking withdrawal of the global expression of interest for technical feasibility study to construct two reservoirs at Mekedatu that are not in consonance with the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal are also pending before the Supreme Court, said the letter.

“I would like to reiterate the unilateral action of the Karnataka government to proceed with new irrigation, hydro power projects, lift irrigation projects and construction of check dams in the guise of drinking water supply would severely affect the flow of water to Tamil Nadu,” it added.