Will never allow constructing Mekedatu, assures TN Minister Vinoth

TIRUCHY: Agriculture Minister R Vinoth said on Friday said that Tamil Nadu will never allow Karnataka to construct the proposed Mekedatu dam, and Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will reiterate the State's opposition during his meeting with his Karnataka counterpart on August 3.

Speaking to reporters in Kumbakonam, Vinoth said the TVK government would not compromise on Tamil Nadu's Cauvery water rights. "We will never allow Karnataka to build the Mekedatu dam. The Chief Minister is scheduled to meet Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on August 3 to reiterate Tamil Nadu's stand and secure the State's due share of Cauvery water despite Karnataka citing poor rainfall and water scarcity," he said.

Meanwhile, delta farmers urged the Chief Minister to firmly oppose the Mekedatu project during the talks. Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan, secretary of the Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, appealed to Vijay to raise the Nethravathi-Hemavathi project proposed by late Karnataka engineer Dr Bhavani Sankar.

Vimalnathan said the proposed tunnel irrigation system could divert excess rainwater from the Western Ghats for the benefit of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, instead of allowing it to flow into the sea.

He also urged the Chief Minister to press for afforestation across the Cauvery catchment area to improve rainfall.