 "TN's objection to Mekedatu project politically motivated: Karnataka CM")
“I had led an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister yesterday on the Mekedatu issue. All our central ministers, MPs, opposition leaders had come. Mekedatu is a drinking water and power generation project. If we do this project, we will be able to store up to 30 to 35 TMC water during the rainy season and utilise it as drinking water for Bengaluru rural, urban and nearby areas," Siddaramaiah said.
Speaking after inaugurating ‘Reach-3B’ of Bangalore Metro Railway line between Nagasandra and Peenya Industrial Area, he said, “Our delegation met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and we have told him that Tamil Nadu is unnecessarily opposing this project. There are no reasons for them to oppose it. “The Mekedatu project will in no way affect them (TN), their farmers and their crops,” he added.
Siddaramaiah in his Budget speech, presented on March 13, had proposed preparing a detailed project report for the construction of a balancing reservoir on the upstream of Mekedatu across the Cauvery river in Ramanagara district, and said global expression of interest had been invited, and Rs 25 crore had been provided in the coming fiscal.
Stating that according to tribunal’s order 192 TMC water was being given to Tamil Nadu without any hindrance, Siddaramaiah said, “additional 50-60 TMC water has been flowing to them; our plan is to store additional water that is flowing into the sea by constructing balancing reservoir at Mekedatu. This project will have a capacity to generate 400 Mw power.” “Tamil Nadu is unnecessarily trying to cause hindrance to this project. I want to tell Tamil Nadu that their opposition to this project for political reasons is wrong,” he said.
“We have told the Prime Minister that we will not stop this project for any reason. I want to assure you that we will go ahead and complete this project,” Siddaramaiah added.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly recently adopted a unanimous resolution urging Centre to rein in the upper riparian state of Karnataka from going ahead with its plan to build the dam across the river. Its chief minister and Opposition had met the Prime Minister and sought his intervention in the issue.
Karnataka had observed a 12-hour state-wide bandh on April 18 called by pro-Kannada outfits to protest Tamil Nadu’s opposition to Mekedatu drinking water project across the river Cauvery.
Later speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said, “We have told the Prime Minister that there is no reason for Tamil Nadu to oppose this project, they had not opposed it until 2009 and have started it only recently. We have told him that their opposition is politically motivated and we have sought central government’s cooperation.
Siddaramaiah also said they had spoken to the Prime Minister on the issue of Kannada language as a medium of instruction in schools.
“We have requested him to convene a meeting of chief ministers of all the states because this is not the issue of Karnataka alone, it is relevant to whole country. We may have to bring an amendment to Article 21(a). We will have to build consensus,” he said.
Meanwhile speaking at the inaugural event, Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu, who is also Member of Rajya Sabha from the state, said, “Yesterday the chief minister led a delegation to the Prime Minister. The need of the hour across the country (is) to have medium of instruction in mother tongue, it is important...”
"As an individual, as a minister I totally support it. Prime Minister has suggested that the matter be discussed at the all-party level meeting."