New tribunal on Mekedatu won’t affect T.N.’s interest, says Water Resources Minister

Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources N. Anand on Monday told the Tamil Nadu Assembly that the demand for constituting a new tribunal on the Mekedatu project would not adversely affect the interests of the State.

“We cannot remain idle when the Centre and the Karnataka government, citing new guidelines, seek to construct a dam at Mekedatu. The tribunal route is the best approach. It can establish Tamil Nadu’s rights over the surplus water and prevent unilateral decisions by the Union government,” he said.

Mr. Anand said it was incorrect to claim the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) had rejected Karnataka’s Detailed Project Report (DPR). “On the contrary, the CWMA has forwarded the DPR to the Central Water Commission (CWC) without offering any comments. Therefore, the threat posed by the proposed dam has not ended,” he said.

According to the Minister, the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment had not conclusively determined the issue of surplus water, which Karnataka had subsequently filed another original petition. “It is our contention before the Supreme Court that any new dispute arising under the Cauvery water-sharing arrangement can be resolved only through a tribunal, as provided under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956,” he added.