A dam proposed in Mekadatu in Karnataka will divide people of the two States and the DMDK will not allow people to be divided over a water conflict, said DMDK treasurer Premalatha Vijayakant on Friday, leading a protest against Karnataka’s proposed reservoir project.
Staging a protest in Hosur, bordering the inter-State line between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Ms. Premalatha, clad in green, arrived on a mini tractor in symbolic solidarity with the farmers, who have objected to the dam proposed by Karnataka.
Speaking at the meeting, she warned against divisions that the project was bound to bring about. “There are various language speakers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and it was in the interest of the unity of the people, who have lived in amity in both the States that the project in Mekadatu be immediately suspended,” she said.
According to her, a dam in Mekadatu would ensure “desertifcation” of Tamil Nadu, which was already reeling under a water crisis. The entire Delta will suffer from the consequences of Karnataka’s actions. Ms. Premalatha called upon the Prime Minister to “interlink rivers” to ensure that “the country did not get divided over water wars.” The DMDK leader also urged the Chief Minister and the Prime Minister to step up and halt the project.
