Mekedatu Dam Row: Tamil Nadu Politicians Urge Centre To Not Permit Karnataka To Construct Dam Across Cauvery

They also resolved to take all legal actions including the pending case in the Supreme Court of India

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin

Chennai: Condemning the Karnataka government's steps to build a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu, Tamil Nadu political parties on Monday decided to submit the resolutions passed at their meeting to the Centre. The meeting urged the central government not to give any permission to the Karnataka government for the project as it would affect the availability of water for irrigation to Tamil Nadu farmers.

They also resolved to take all legal actions including the pending case in the Supreme Court of India. All the parties having their members in the Tamil Nadu assembly met after chief minister MK Stalin called a meeting to discuss Karnataka's plans to build a dam at Mekedatu across the Cauvery river.

All the parties also agreed to extend their cooperation to the DMK led Tamil Nadu government to prevent Karnataka from building the dam. In order to show the state's total opposition to the dam project, the meeting also decided to submit the resolutions to the central government and take all legal actions including the pending case in the Supreme Court of India.

The meeting was called to protect the interests of farmers in the state and to reflect the unanimous view of all sections of the state on the Mekedatu dam issue. The Tamil Nadu government said it is taking all legal measures to prevent Karnataka from building a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu. Stalin while meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi recently explained Tamil Nadu's position on the dam and stressed on protection of the rights of the farmers in the state.

Later Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan met Union Jal Shakti Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and discussed the Mekedatu dam matter. Chief Minister of Karnataka B.S. Yediyurappa had written to Stalin requesting Tamil Nadu not to oppose the dam project. In his reply to that letter, Stalin had told Yediyurappa that the dam would affect the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers and is also against the Supreme Court order.

(With inputs from IANS)