CHENNAI: AIADMK Workers’ Rights Retrieval Committee coordinator O. Panneerselvam on Sunday urged the State government to take a firm stand against the Mekedatu project at the forthcoming meeting of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

In a statement, he recalled that the Tamil Nadu government had earlier filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a direction that the CWMA should not take up discussions on Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam. The Supreme Court recently dismissed the plea, observing that the project could move forward after the CWMA and its Expert Committee undertake a detailed study and arrive at a conclusion.

Panneerselvam said the State had “failed before the court” to impress upon it that Karnataka continued to deny Tamil Nadu its rightful share of water. At a time when the State is struggling to secure its allocated quantum, any progress on the Mekedatu project would severely affect farmers in the Cauvery Delta, he said.

He noted that the CWMA meeting scheduled for December 8 in New Delhi includes a discussion on the Mekedatu proposal. “In this meeting, strong arguments must be placed on behalf of Tamil Nadu by presenting accurate and irrefutable data,” he insisted.

Before the meeting, he said, the government must convene all concerned officials and instruct them to put forth a robust case against the project. Immediate steps should be taken to ensure that Tamil Nadu’s objections are recorded firmly and that a resolution reflecting the State’s position is achieved at the meeting, he added.