Karnataka cannot construct dams across the Cauvery unilaterally without the consent of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa contended in the Assembly on Friday.
Responding to a call attention motion on the reported move of Karnataka to build a dam at Mekedatu, across the Cauvery, she said the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) had mooted erection of hydroelectric power stations between Krishnaraja Sagar and Mettur Dam at Sivasamudram, Mekedatu, Rasimanal and Hogenakkal.
The Union Power Ministry submitted a proposal to the State governments concerned in 1999.
However, the Tamil Nadu government gave its consent for the projects in July 2004 on certain conditions. The conditions were that the work for the hydropower projects at Sivasamudram and Hogenakkal should be started simultaneously after getting permission. On the same basis, the Mekedatu and Rasimanal projects should also be taken up (simultaneously) in the next stage. All these four projects should be executed by the NHPC.
Though Karnataka did give its consent for the projects as early as 2001, it announced later that it would execute the projects at Sivasamudram and Mekedatu on its own as both were within that State. Then Karnataka was informed by Tamil Nadu that it could not carry out any project across the Cauvery without the consent of Tamil Nadu as it was an inter-State river. In addition, Tamil Nadu filed an interim petition before the Supreme Court in November 2008 pleading that Karnataka should not be permitted to execute the Sivasamudram or Mekedatu projects till the appeals before the Supreme Court and the clarification petitions before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal were disposed of. Besides, all these four hydroelectric projects could be executed by the NHPC or any appropriate power generation organisation. “This appeal is still pending.”
