Special Session Of State Assembly Called By Tamil Nadu Government To Discuss Mekedatu Dam Dispute

A special session of the state Assembly has been called by the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday ( December 6) to pressure the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) to withdraw their approval of the detailed project report on Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir and Drinking Water Project across the Cauvery in Karnataka’s Ramnagaram district, prepared by Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited, reports TNIE.

The Central Water Commission (CWC) gave their nod for the preparation of a dpr on Mekedatu on November 22.

Tamil Nadu government has said that the project would affect the water flow in Cauvery. It has argued that the nod given by the CWC was in violation of the Supreme Court’s order on the Cauvery water-sharing issue and moved to file a contempt petition against Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy , Karnataka Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar and the CWC chairman for violation the Apex Court’s order regarding this issue.

“We earlier passed a resolution in 2015 seeking the Centre’s intervention to stop the project report on Mekedatu. The Assembly session on Thursday evening will pass yet another resolution in this regard,” said a senior AIADMK minister.

The developments occur after massive protests and a public meeting was organised by the Opposition parties accusing the Centre of failing to protect the interests of Tamil Nadu while favouring the Karnataka government despite frequent meetings with the Prime Minister and BJP ministers.

DMK President M K Stalin warned the Prime Minister of dire consequences by saying that the PM would not be allowed to enter the state if they went ahead with the project without consulting Tamil Nadu “PM Modi, please remember that if you betray Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project and fail to save the people, we will create a situation in which you will never come here,” Stalin said.