Mekedatu project across Cauvery is our right:Karnataka

The Karnataka government Thursday asserted that the proposed Mekedatu project was the "right" of the state and its "lifetime dream" but sought to reach out to Tamil Nadu, which is strongly opposed to the scheme.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy held consultations with his predecessors and former water resource ministers on irrigation schemes, even as the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed an unanimous resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the permission given to Karnataka for a detailed project report for its proposed dam across the Cauvery at Mekedattu.

"It is the right of our state, we don't want tofight or have misunderstanding with anyone on this issue.

It is a balancing reservoir, there is no question of us misusing it," Karnataka water resources minister D K Shivakumar told reporters here after the meeting.

"We request them (Tamil Nadu), they are like our brothers, we are friends.. we have to share this water... we don't want to fight with them," he said in response to a question about Tamil Nadu rejecting the state's request for talks to clear doubts on the project.

The meeting was attended by former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and Jagadish Shettar, and former water resource ministers Allam Veerabadhrappa, K S Eshwarappa, H K Patil, M B Patil, Basavaraj Bommai, also technical and legal experts.

A specially convened session of the Tamil Nadu assembly Thursday passed the resolution moved by chief minister K Palaniswami, asking the Union Ministry of Water Resources "to immediately order the Central Water Commission to withdraw the permission given to Karnataka for preparing the DPR (detailed project report)."
He said "there are about 4,996 hectares of land that comeunder the proposed project area. Out of that 280 hecatares is revenueland, about 500 or 600 acres of farmers land may be there."
Shivakumar said he had written to Palaniswami and said there was no meaning in "unnecessarily objecting to the project. The project was being done within our state and with our money and without violating the judgment of the Supreme Court on the Cauvery dispute."
It appears that some misconceptions about the proposed project have occurred in government's and Tamil Nadu people's mind though actual reality of the project is different."