BENGALURU: In a massive blow to the state’s hopes of quick approval for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir across Cauvery river, a project that aims to provide drinking water to Bengaluru city, the Union govt clarified that it has not accorded “any approval” for the construction of new dams across the Cauvery river.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, minister of state for Jal Shakti, said no permission was given for a new dam. The BJP-led Union govt’s clarification comes amid mounting pressure from Karnataka to approve the Mekedatu project.
Responding to a question from S Kalyanasundaram, Tamil Nadu MP, on protect- ing rights of lower riparian states of the Cauvery, Choudhary said Cauvery Water Management Authority and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee were set up as per Supreme Court guidelines to assure compliance and im- plementation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, including storage, apportionment, regulation, and control of Cauvery water.
Walk the talk
This stand obviously did not go down well with Karnataka, with deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar hitting out at the Centre.
He took a dig at Union minister HD Kumaraswamy, asking him to walk the talk on the issue.
“Kumaraswamy had claimed that he would get the required permission for the Mekedatu project within a day. Let Kumaraswamy do that first and then talk about other state issues later,” Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.