New Delhi: The Union government has said in Parliament that Karnataka does not require the consent of Tamil Nadu or other states to build the proposed Mekedatu dam across the Cauvery river.
The clarification came in the Rajya Sabha after PMK leader and MP Anbumani Ramadoss asked whether Karnataka had obtained approvals from the governments of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, and sought an update on the project’s status with the Centre.
Replying to the question, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the Supreme Court’s February 16, 2018 judgment in the Cauvery water dispute does not state anywhere that Karnataka must secure consent from Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Puducherry to construct any dam across the Cauvery.
On the project’s progress, the minister said Karnataka submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) to the Central Water Commission in 2019. As per the Commission’s guidelines and the Cauvery Tribunal award, Karnataka was asked to submit a revised DPR, and the report was returned to the state.
