TNCC opposes Mekedatu dam, says Tamil Nadu will not allow project

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president Manickam Tagore on Saturday strongly condemned Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s remarks that nobody could prevent the construction of a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu and his demand for final approval from the Union government, asserting that Tamil Nadu would not allow the project under any circumstances.

Reacting to Shivakumar’s statement made in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mysuru, Tagore accused the Karnataka government of repeatedly adopting a defiant stand that went against the Supreme Court verdict and the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

He said the proposed Mekedatu project violated the principles of federalism and threatened the livelihood of farmers in Tamil Nadu, particularly those in the Cauvery Delta. As a lower riparian State, Tamil Nadu’s water-sharing rights could not be compromised by any unilateral decision taken by Karnataka, he said.

Tagore urged the Union government not to grant approval for the project without the consent of the lower riparian States.

"The responsibility of the Modi government at the Centre is to ensure that Karnataka is not allowed to even lay a single brick for the Mekedatu dam," he said.

Reiterating the TNCC's opposition to the project, Tagore said the party would oppose any move that undermined Tamil Nadu's rights and go to any extent to protect the State's interests.