Not Fair To Include Mekedatu Dam Project In Cauvery Authority's Agenda: TN Govt

Duraimurugan expressed concern over the repeated inclusion of Karnataka's proposal to build a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery River at Mekedatu in the agenda of CWMA.

Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan informed the assembly on Wednesday that the state government conveyed to Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) that it was unfair to include Mekedatu Dam project in its meeting. 

Duraimurugan expressed concern over the repeated inclusion of Karnataka's proposal to build a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery River at Mekedatu in the agenda of CWMA. He noted that Tamil Nadu had objected to discussing the matter, and even Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had stated it should not be included.

"Despite this, it was included in the agenda for discussion. Yesterday, we conveyed to the CWMA that it is not fair to include the Mekedatu dam project in the agenda," the minister said, as per PTI.

AIADMK General Secretary Palaniswami emphasized that Tamil Nadu should have objected to discussing the project at the CWMA's meeting on February 1. He noted that the authority had referred the project back to the Central Water Commission for evaluation. Palaniswami, the former chief minister, urged the government to explore measures to protect the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution put forth by Chief Minister MK Stalin against the 'One Nation, One Election' initiative, urging the Centre not to implement the policy.

However, the BJP strongly objected to the resolution, while the main Opposition party, the AIADMK, stated that it would back the 'One Nation, One Election' concept if its 10 demands, presented to President Ramnath Kovind previously, were addressed within 10 years.

BJP leader Vanathi Srinivasan, while opposing the resolution, dismissed concerns about 'One Nation, One Election' as baseless and deemed the resolution unnecessary.

The PMK MLAs were absent from the House, while the DMK allies, including the Congress, VCK, and the Left parties, extended their support to the resolution introduced by the Chief Minister.