CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Jospeh Vijay on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre to reject Karnataka's proposed Mekedatu reservoir project, alleging that the move violated the Supreme Court judgment and the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT).
In his letter, Vijay said the Karnataka government had announced bhoomi puja for the proposed project across the Cauvery at Mekedatu and termed the move a clear violation of the legal framework governing Cauvery water sharing.
Referring to recent statements by Karnataka leaders, the Chief Minister said the neighbouring State had reiterated its determination to proceed with the project, causing anxiety among lakhs of farmers in Tamil Nadu who depend on the Cauvery river for irrigation and livelihood.
Vijay alleged that Karnataka, through the proposed Mekedatu project with a storage capacity of 67.16 TMC near the Tamil Nadu border, was attempting to prevent the flow of water generated from uncontrolled catchment areas that Tamil Nadu was entitled to receive under the CWDT award and the Supreme Court verdict.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, during its meeting held on July 19, 2019, had returned the proposal without granting terms of reference for environmental impact assessment studies, observing that an amicable resolution among basin States was necessary because of the inter-State nature of the dispute.
He further stated that Karnataka's attempt to proceed with the project without obtaining concurrence from co-basin states amounted to a blatant violation of environmental laws and judicial orders.
Expressing concern over the Centre's decision to entertain the proposal, Vijay urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject the detailed project report (DPR) for the Mekedatu project.
The Chief Minister also requested the Centre to advise Karnataka not to pursue any new project on the Cauvery river without obtaining the consent of all basin states.