New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to instruct the Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to advice the chairman of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to desist from taking up any discussion on the Mekedatu project, till the issues are heard and decided by the Supreme Court.
In the letter, Stalin said, "The Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has proposed to discuss the DPR of the Mekedatu project in its 16th meeting to be held on June 17. This step has caused great anguish among the farmers of the Cauvery Delta in Tamil Nadu. I am sure that you are fully aware that our state depends greatly on the waters of Cauvery for its drinking water needs and irrigation. After a protracted legal battle, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on Feb 16, 2018, apportioning the waters of Cauvery amongst the riparian states."
"Although the quantity of allocation is not up to our expectation, we are managing our needs with the allocated share, provided it is delivered as per the schedule. Any disruption in that would affect us very adversely and hence this is a very sensitive issue," the TN CM said in a letter.
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Referring to the inclusion of the Mekedatu project in the 16th meeting of CWMA, Stalin tweeted, "This is unacceptable to Tamil Nadu and is legally untenable as the Cauvery board was specifically constituted only to implement the orders of the Supreme Court."
As three applications were pending before the Supreme Court, the CM recalled that the government has filed another application in the apex court on June 7. In his letter, Stalin mentioned that these applications comprise critical questions on the role of CWMA, which has to be clarified by the top court.