BENGALURU: Karnataka on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution in the assembly, condemning Tamil Nadu's stand on the Mekedatu drinking water project and urged the Centre to clear the project at the earliest.
The resolution appealed to the Centre to not approve the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar river-linking project proposed by Tamil Nadu without Karnataka's consent.
Moving the resolution in the assembly in the afternoon, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said Karnataka has taken note of "the unlawful and unparliamentary-worded resolution" of Tamil Nadu passed on March 21 which opposes the Mekedatu project.
"The resolution challenges the federal system of the country and has no justification. While TN asks Karnataka to seek approval for the Mekedatu project, it has taken up a river-interlinking project without seeking Karnataka's approval, showing dual standards," he said. Bommai said the Mekedatu project was Karnataka's constitutional right and the project is in line with the national water policy. "The project does not violate any Supreme Court verdict. Tamil Nadu, by way of unilateral decisions, has tried to use the excess Cauvery river water which is generated in Karnataka for its unlawful irrigation projects," he added.
The CM listed the projects taken up by Tamil Nadu: Kunda pumped storage project (PSP), Shillahalli PSP, Hogenakkal Stage II and Cauvery-Kattlai-Vaigai-Gundar project. The resolution added that the peninsular river development scheme, envisaged by the Centre, takes excess water generated in the Godavari river into the Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar project.
"Until such time that all the riparian states of these rivers, including Karnataka, do not give their assent, it should not be approved by the Centre," read the resolution. On suggestions from the Congress and JD(S), Bommai amended the resolution to state that Karnataka will not accept the detailed project report of the peninsular river development scheme.
Earlier, the Congress expressed disappointment that it was not consulted by the government before preparing the resolution. It said interlinking of rivers, as proposed by Tamil Nadu, will impact Karnataka's intent to lift water from Almatti dam to Tungabhadra dam. "If this (interlinking of rivers) is done, then we will be forced to share excess water with other riparian states, leading to a huge crisis in Karnataka," said Congress MLA H K Patil.
The JD(S) reiterated the Congress's stand and asked the state government to clearly state Karnataka will not accept interlinking of rivers. "Until our share of the water is agreed upon, we will not accept the DPR (detailed project report) on river-linking," said law minister JC Madhuswamy.
