Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday asserted that the Tamil Nadu government will not allow the construction of any dam across the Cauvery river that jeopardises its farmers’ interests.
Refuting the opposition parties’ criticism of the government’s stand before the Supreme Court on Karnataka’s proposed construction of a dam at Mekedatu, he told mediapersons here that the reports that Tamil Nadu did not have any objection to the dam project was wrong.
He pointed out that the final arguments on the appeal petitions of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala over the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal were under way in the Supreme Court.
During the course of the final arguments by the senior counsel of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka’s counsel had intervened to submit that the Mekedatu dam could be used as a storage facility for its benefit after releasing 120 tmc as Tamil Nadu’s share.
In response to a poser by the judges, the Tamil Nadu counsel told the court that it was not in a position to build a dam on its plains, and pointed out that as per the Tribunal award, the excess water could be stored in the existing dams and shared among the States.
At this point, the judges asked whether they could direct Karnataka to build a dam, to be administered by the Centre, at an appropriate place to store excess water and ensure release of water to Tamil Nadu. To this, the Tamil Nadu counsel said that separate arguments would be made before the court. “The report that there was no opposition to the new dam is wrong,” the Chief Minister said.
“When the Centre submits its stand on the construction of the new dams, we will put forth strong arguments to ensure that the rights of Tamil Nadu are not affected in any way,” he affirmed.
Bid to show black flags
Tension prevailed earlier in the day, when a group of farmers and activists attempted to show black flags to Mr. Palaniswami in protest against his handling of the Mekedatu and Kadiramangalam issues.
The police removed the agitators from the spot after they refused to disperse.
