Will start work on Mekedatu project soon: Yediyurappa

BENGALURU: The State Government will soon start work on the Mekedatu reservoir project after getting clearances from the authorities in the Union Government, said Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday.The National Green Tribunal Principal Bench, New Delhi, in an order on Thursday, directed the NGT Chennai bench to close its proceedings, which were based on a newspaper report that alleged violations of environmental norms in the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project near Kanakapura.

The proceedings should be dropped as the issue is before the statutory authority and Supreme Court, it stated. The Karnataka Government had challenged the decision of the NGT bench to take up the issue based on a media report.

“Now that the NGT has greenlighted the project, we will start the work soon. It aims to generate 4,000 MW of power and supply drinking water to Bengaluru. The water will not be diverted for irrigation purposes,” Yediyurappa said.The Tamil Nadu government has been opposing the project for long. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday and requested him to stop the project.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said there are no violations in the project and the government will not allow any injustice to the people of the State in inter-state water disputes. Responding to Stalin’s meeting with the PM, Bommai said the case is before the Supreme Court. 

Official sources at the Department of Water Resources said that though they have convinced the Tamil Nadu government about the project, the neighbouring state is raising objections for political reasons. “The proposed dam across Mekedatu aims to store 67 tmcft of water only when there is excess rainfall. We anyway release water regularly as per the court order. We will use only 4 tmcft for drinking water needs of Bengaluru and not for irrigation. If there is less rainfall in any year, we will release water from this reservoir to make up Tamil Nadu’s share (depending on the availability of water),’’ the sources said.

On the Tamil Nadu government bringing pressure on the Centre to stop the project, Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh told The New Indian Express that the neighbouring state can raise the issue before the Cauvery Water Management Authority.Deputy CM Dr CN Ashwath Narayan said that apart from Bengaluru, other areas around the city too can be supplied water from the project.