Govt's reply in Parliament on Mekedatu must be withdrawn, Tamil Nadu CM Vijay to PM Modi

Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention to ensure no statutory or administrative approval is granted to the Mekedatu project unless it is demonstrably consistent with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) Award and the Supreme Court's judgement.

Vijay also called for the withdrawal of the reply by MoS for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary in the Rajya Sabha on July 27 regarding the Mekedatu project. The minister had said that the SC's February 16, 2018 judgement does not expressly stipulate that Karnataka should obtain the consent of the lower riparian states before constructing a structure across the Cauvery. "This disappointing reply from the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti seems to have been made without taking into consideration the prevailing legal position and settled law with regard to the consent of the lower riparian states," Vijay said in his letter.

Vijay contended that the reply overlooked the final award of CWDT and the settled legal principles governing inter-state river disputes. "Protecting the integrity of the tribunal award and the judgement of the SC is essential for maintaining confidence in the constitutional mechanism governing inter-state rivers," Vijay said, seeking PM's intervention "in the larger interest of justice, federal harmony and faithful implementation of judicial decisions." The development comes a week ahead of Vijay's proposed meeting with Karnataka CM on the release of Cauvery water.