Expressing concern over alleged site inspection by union government officials in connection with the Mekedatu dam proposal, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to grant statutory or administrative approvals for the project without the consent of co-basin states.
The purported site inspection by central government officers has deepened the worries of the farmers of Cauvery Delta, who are already struggling in this deficit water year (2026-27), due to Karnataka’s denial to ensure Tamil Nadu’s due share even on a pro-rata basis, Vijay told PM Modi.
Earlier reporting noted: Cauvery water dispute: Tamil Nadu CM Vijay urges PM Modi to withhold clearances for Karnataka’s Mekedatu dam project Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File Photo) Earlier reporting noted: CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that no statutory or administrative approval is granted to Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam project without the consent of the lower riparian states. The Tamil Nadu chief minister urged the prime minister to not grant statutory, or administrative approvals to the Mekedatu proposal without the consent of co-basin states and requested that Karnataka be advised to not proceed with the project without the consent of co-basin states. The anxious farmers of Tamil Nadu view the site visit as an indication of tacit movement on a project that would jeopardise their very livelihoods”. He urged the Prime Minister to direct the ministries of jal shakti and environment, forest and climate change not to conduct site inspections or technical evaluations or grant statutory or administrative clearances for the project without the consent of the lower riparian states.
The purported site inspection by central government officers has deepened the worries of the farmers of Cauvery Delta, who are already struggling in this deficit water year (2026-27), due to Karnataka’s denial to ensure Tamil Nadu’s due share even on a pro-rata basis, Vijay conveyed to Modi in a letter. Earlier reporting noted: In a letter to Modi, Vijay said the proposed 67.16tmcft reservoir across the Cauvery, near the inter-state border, could obstruct the river’s flow into Tamil Nadu and affect the monthly releases stipulated by the Supreme Court.
It is vital that the rights of lower riparian states regarding both the quantum and regulated pattern of monthly releases remain fully protected, the CM said. He said: “In view of the Supreme Court order dated February 16, 2018 (on Cauvery issue), the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change may be asked to refrain from undertaking any site inspections, technical evaluations, or granting any statutory, administrative clearances to the Mekedatu project without the consent of lower riparian States”. Vijay said there have been frequent news reports on the Karnataka Chief Minister’s meeting with the Central government officials of Jal Shakti and Environment ministries seeking clearance of the DPR for Mekedatu Project without the concurrence of the lower riparian state of Tamil Nadu, and this is a matter of perpetual anxiety for the farmers of the state. The CM said: “Earlier, a team of Government of India officers reportedly visited the proposed Mekedatu Dam site, as per the statements emanating from Karnataka.
