Mekedatu issue: CRRC members burn SC's order copies
Apex court had rejected state government’s appeal against construction of dam in Karnataka
CRRC members burn copies of Supreme Court order rejecting Tamil Nadu’s plea against Mekedatu dam on Monday.
TIRUCHY: The members of Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee (CRRC) in Thanjavur staged a protest on Monday by burning a copy of the Supreme Court’s order rejecting the appeal of the Tamil Nadu government against the construction of the Mekedatu dam by Karnataka state, and all the members were arrested.
According to the protesting members, the bench comprising Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice NV Anjaria, on November 13, observed that Tamil Nadu’s challenge to the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) decision to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project was ‘premature’ and rejected the plea.
The members condemned the Karnataka government for being stubborn on the construction of the Mekedatu dam, which would have a negative impact in Tamil Nadu, and the Cauvery Delta irrigation would be affected.
“Tamil Nadu government should initiate proper legal steps to prevent Karnataka from constructing the Mekedatu dam, and the Tamil Nadu Water Resource Minister Duraimurugan should withdraw the misinformation about the construction of the dam by the Karnataka government,” said D Manipozhiyan, treasurer of CRRC, who presided over the protest.
The members also raised slogans against the Karnataka government and the Supreme Court on the issue. They also demanded the direction to the Karnataka government to go ahead with the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) be cancelled and burnt the copies of the recent order.
The Thanjavur East police who were on duty prevented them from burning the copies. Subsequently, the police arrested around 50 CRRC members.
