Chennai | The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday adopted a unanimous resolution against Karnataka's move to construct a dam across river Cauvery at Mekedatu, expressing support for all measures undertaken by the state government on the issue.
Chief Minster C Joseph piloted the government resolution, and members of the opposition, including LoP Udhyanidhi Stalin and AIADMK's Edappadi K Palaniswami spoke on the subject.
The resolution moved by Vijay said that the House records its "strong objection to the unilateral attempt of the Government of Karnataka to construct a dam across the Cauvery River at Mekedatu, without respecting the Final Award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal dated 5.2.2007 and the Judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court dated 16.2.2018." It said Karnataka acted without obtaining the concurrence of the concerned basin states, and had also not secured any approval from the Centre.
Such an action is "not at all acceptable." "This August House urges the Union Government not to grant any form of approval, including technical and environmental clearances, to the Mekedatu Dam Project proposed by the Government of Karnataka. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Hon'ble Supreme Court have observed that the Cauvery Basin is a deficit basin and that the total available water in the basin has already been apportioned among the basin states." "Therefore, no new project can be undertaken in the Cauvery Basin, nor can any additional quantity of water be utilized. The Cauvery issue is a highly sensitive matter between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Therefore, this August House urges the Union Government to advise the Government of Karnataka not to undertake the construction of a dam or any new water storage project at Mekedatu or at any other location in the Cauvery Basin without the concurrence of the other basin states and without the approval" of the Centre, added.
The House further urged the Central Water Commission not to examine, process, or grant approval to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka regarding the project.
"This August House unanimously expresses its support for all measures undertaken by the Government of Tamil Nadu to prevent this attempt by the Government of Karnataka so as to safeguard the interests of the farmers of Tamil Nadu," the resolution read.
Tamil Nadu has been opposed to Karnataka's move to construct the balancing reservoir at Mekedatu in that state, claiming it would affect its interests. The project proposes to meet the drinking water requirements of Bengaluru, besides hydel power generation.
Karnataka, the upper riparian state, has been insisting that the dam will not harm Tamil Nadu's interests
