Reiterating the strong opposition by the State government against Mekedatu dam, Minister for Water Resources Duraimurugan on Thursday said Tamil Nadu would not allow the construction of the dam.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a review meeting on ongoing water supply works in Vellore district here, Mr. Duraimurugan said that the Mekedatu dam issue was not raised at the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal nor before the Supreme Court. However, the issue has been raised again by some people.
“If Mekedatu dam is built, the water flow to Tamil Nadu will be affected immensely. So,there will be no compromise on the issue,” he said.
On Karnataka Irrigation Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s remarks that the new dam will be beneficial for people living in both States, the Minister said that as Mr. Shivakumar has sworn in as Minister for Irrigation only recently and he might not be fully aware of the entire Cauvery dispute.
The Mekedatu multipurpose (drinking and power) project involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district of Karnataka. The project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas (4.75 TMC) and generating 400 MW power. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 9,000 crore.
Asked about lack of road in Alleri hillock in Vellore where a 18-month-old tribal infant died on the way to hospital last week, Mr. Duraimurugan said that an application for permission for a road has been applied online to the Centre. Once the project received the nod from the Centre, the road would be laid.
