Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar said Maharashtra’s objections to Karnataka govt’s decision to increase the Almatti dam height has come as a “shock”.He urged all MPs and central ministers from Karnataka to cooperate with the state govt to implement the project by convincing the Centre. “We will meet the Prime Minister regarding the issue,” the DCM, who also holds the water resources, said Monday.“Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis wrote to (his Karnataka counterpart) Siddaramaiah on May 9 raising objections to increasing the height of Almatti dam. Fadnavis said Sangli and Kolhapur districts would face flooding if the dam height is raised, and the letter asked for re-evaluating the plan. This letter is a shock to us,” said Shivakumar.He added that Maharashtra had never raised objections to the project earlier. It did not raise any issues when the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal passed its judgment in 2010. Maharashtra, which even submitted an affidavit to the tribunal seeking to increase dam height, was opposing it all of a sudden.He added that as per the tribunal’s order, Karnataka could increase the height of the dam to 524 metres from the current 519 metres.“I appeal to all the central ministers and MPs with folded hands to protect the state’s interest,” said Shivakumar.He added that the project was Karnataka’s right which was accorded by the tribunal.“Our CM will give a reply to the Maharashtra CM by Tuesday. Union minister V Somanna is part of the Union Jal Shakti ministry. The Almatti project is needed for Karnataka, but we don’t want friction with our neighbouring state. The cost escalation is very high due to delays. We would need Rs 1 lakh crore for land acquisition for this project,” he said.He stated, “We will meet the PM and the Union Jal Shakti minister regarding this. Karnataka has been awaiting a gazette notification since 2013 for increasing dam height. How long should we wait? We will share the letter from Maharashtra CM and our reply to it with all our MPs,” he said.