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A day ahead of opposition-backed farmers bandh over Mekedatu row, Tamil Nadu Assembly on Friday adopted a unanimous resolution urging Centre to rein in Karnataka from going ahead with its plan to build the dam across inter-state river Cauvery.
"This House urges the Centre to take immediate steps to stop preparation of a Detailed Project Report to build new dam in Mekedatu by Karnataka," the resolution moved by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and adopted unanimously said.
On the occasion, Panneerselvam urged all Members of Parliament from the state to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and give him the copy of the resolution and convey the state's stand and concerns over Karnataka's move.
The resolution also wanted the Centre to render appropriate advice to Karnataka that "it should not take any steps for any project in Mekedatu like a dam or reservoir without the nod of Tamil Nadu."
Urging the Centre to immediately set up Cauvery Management Board (CMB) and Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority, the resolution said till the board was constituted, Karnataka should not go ahead with the project without Tamil Nadu's nod.
On December 5 last year, the Assembly had passed a similar resolution urging the Centre to not grant clearance for any dams by Karnataka and pressed for formation of the CMB.
Protesting Karnataka's move, farmers associations in the state have given a call for a state-wide bandh for tomorrow, which is being backed by all major opposition parties, including DMK, PMK, MDMK, Congress and TMC.
The farmers collective has also urged the Tamil Nadu government to support the bandh call.
Karnataka in its 2015-16 budget presented recently has made financial allocation for a Detailed Project Report for the dam in Mekedatu.
The Chief Minister had last week written to the Prime Minister citing the financial allocation and wanted Modi to advise Karnataka to not take up any project across the inter-state river without Tamil Nadu's consent.
The state is opposing Karnataka's move on the ground that building new dam would amount to gross violation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal as it would affect the flow of water to Tamil Nadu.
Extending its support to the resolution, DMK, however, demanded that the Assembly be given a day's off tomorrow to "morally support" the bandh called for by farmers' association against Karnataka's move.
Senior DMK leader Duraimurugan said though a government cannot back a bandh, AIADMK may support it as a political party and urged that the proceedings of the Assembly, scheduled to meet tomorrow for the debate on budget, may not be held.
However, as the House adjourned for the day, Speaker P Dhanapal said it will meet tomorrow at 10 AM as scheduled, virtually turning down DMK's plea.
Members of all political parties, including Congress, who spoke on the resolution, slammed Karnataka for its proposal to construct the check-dam at Mekedatu.
Implement project on war footing: JDS
Taking exception to Tamil Nadu government's objection to the proposed Mekedatu dam project across Cauvery river, former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy today said the Karnataka government should proceed with it on a war footing.
"When we have not even prepared DPR (Detailed Project Report) for Mekedatu project, Tamil Nadu has started raising objections," Kumaraswamy said.
in the Assembly while speaking about drinking water problem faced in Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and other districts.
Participating in the debate on the state budget, he said on this issue the state government should not relent at any cost and has to show its strong conviction.
"We have no objection in releasing Tamil Nadu's quota of 190 tmc ft (Cauvery water). We will give them their share of water, but we should at any cost go ahead with Mekedatu project," he added.
Even as this issue came up in the Karnataka legislature, Tamil Nadu Assembly today adopted a unanimous resolution urging Centre to rein in Karnataka from going ahead with its plan to build the dam across the inter-state river.
Kumaraswamy said the government has to allocate more funds for the Mekedatu protect to implement it on a war footing.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in his budget speech, presented on March 13, has proposed preparing a detailed project report for construction of balancing reservoir on the upstream of Mekedatu across Cauvery river.
He had said Global Expression of Interest had been invited, and a sum of Rs 25 crore provided in the coming fiscal.
Intervening, another JD(S) MLA Y S V Datta said when Tamil Nadu has stated it will not allow us to go ahead with the project, why shouldn't Karnataka legislators go ahead and pass a resolution stating that "we will go ahead with the project at any cost?"
"On the Hogenakkal project (in Tamil Nadu) we did not have any say, they did not take us into confidence," he said.
Kumaraswamy also suggested that going to Central government will not help in this matter.
"There will be no help from going to the Central government on this, don't expect anything from the Centre," he said.
Recently Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advise Karnataka not to build new dams across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, saying it would affect his state.
Farmers' bodies have called for a Tamil Nadu bandh tomorrow over the issue to which several state political parties have expressed their support.
