CHENNAI: PMK founder S Ramadoss on Thursday condemned the Karnataka government for urging the Central government to fasten the process of giving permission to the Mekedatu project when the Mekedatu case is pending before the Supreme Court.

"Yesterday, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai met Union Minister Gajendrasingh Shekawat at Delhi to urge him to provide environment and forest clearance for Mekedatu dam. The Karnataka state Assembly election is due next April or May and to gain political momentum Bommai has met the Union Minister which is illegal,” said Ramadoss, in a statement.

Ramadoss also said that there are several reasons to believe that Bommai seeking permission for Mekedatu dam is only for political gains. Since Cauvery river is an inter-state river, Karnataka cannot construct dams across the river without the permission of Tamil Nadu.

Also, on a couple of occasions, once in 2015 and another in 2019, it has been established by the central government and also by the Court that a dam cannot be constructed without the permission of Tamil Nadu, which is the lower riparian state, in case of Cauvery river.

Also, when the Central Water Commission (CWC) decided to take up the Mekedatu issue, the State government sought a ban for discussing the issue. As the Mekedatu case will be heard by the Supreme Court in a week, the State government should seek a permanent ban on discussing the Mekedatu issue when the case is still pending in the court.

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