Accusing the Centre of taking a “partial” stand by granting permission for the Karnataka government’s proposal to build a reservoir at Mekedatu across the Cauvery, Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha M. Thambidurai demanded that the permission be withdrawn forthwith.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said that when farmers in the delta region were dependent on the Cauvery, the Central Water Commission’s (CWC) nod to the project only showed the Centre’s scant regard for Tamil Nadu.
“Such actions by the Central government give the impression that the people of Tamil Nadu are being taken for granted. [Access to] Cauvery is our right. We will fight till the end to get our fair share,” he asserted.
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MDMK chief Vaiko and AISMK leader R. Sarathkumar also condemned the Centre over the project.
In a statement, Mr. Vaiko said the Centre had done an injustice to Tamil Nadu.
In December 2014, Union Minister Anand Kumar and MPs from other parties participated in a meeting on the construction of a new dam. Central Ministers Sadanand Gowda and Prakash Javadekar also participated in the meeting. At the meeting, it was decided that no permission would be given to Karnataka to build dams across the Cauvery, but at the same time, there would not be any attempts to stop construction at Mekedatu, Vaiko recalled.
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Irrigated area
He further said that in 1974, the total irrigated area in Karnataka was just 6.8 lakh acres. In 1991, the Cauvery Tribunal said that it should not be increased beyond 11.2 lakh acres. In 2007, Karnataka was asked to maintain the irrigated land at 18.85 lakh acres. Despite this, Karnataka increased it to 21 lakh acres, Vaiko said. “Tamil Nadu won’t receive a drop of water if Karnataka builds the dam,” he said.
Mr. Sarathkumar said the Centre should cancel the permission granted to the Karnataka government to build the dam.
“The Centre, which is facing criticism in Tamil Nadu, could gain by recalling the draft plan for building the dam at Mekedatu,” he said.