Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him not to clear the Karnataka government’s proposal to build a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery till pending issues are resolved.
The Chief Minister’s letter cited media reports to say that Karnataka was planning a ₹5,912-crore Mekedatu multipurpose — drinking and power — project across the Cauvery that involves building a balancing reservoir with a capacity of 66 tmcft.
The unilateral action of the government of Karnataka would be detrimental to the interests of the people of Tamil Nadu, he said.
He said appeals against the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by Karnataka and Kerala are still pending before the Supreme Court. Tamil Nadu had filed a Special Leave Petition.
Among other things, Karnataka has assured Tamil Nadu that it will not proceed with the Mekedatu project without informing the Supreme Court first.
The Chief Minister also appealed to various Central government Ministries not to grant clearance to the project.
