MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Sunday urged the government to hasten the process of hearing of the Mekedatu dam case pending in the Supreme Court and ensure that Karnataka’s plan to construct a dam is stopped.
Mr. Vaiko accused the National Green Tribunal of acting one-sided in favour of Karnataka by closing proceedings against the project last week. “When the Mekedatu case has been scheduled for July 5, 2021, for hearing the arguments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, NGT chairperson A.K. Goyal has not given the opportunity for it to be heard and has acted in a biased manner,” he said in a statement.
He said it was in this backdrop that Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa claimed that the NGT had given permission to Karnataka to construct the dam across the Cauvery.
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“It is highly condemnable that the BJP government is supporting Karnataka when there is a final judgment of the Cauvery Tribunal and the Supreme Court that is being side-stepped,” he said.
Mr. Vaiko said Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting that the Union government should not give consent for the project. “If the project is allowed, then the 177.25 tmcft of Cauvery water that is legally Tamil Nadu’s share as per the Supreme Court judgment will become a trickle,” he said.