Taking exceptions to Tamil Nadu’s objections to Mekedatu project, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai reiterated that the State government was firm on its decision to go ahead with the project.
Speaking to media representatives after inaugurating a new building of S.K. Modi International School in Ballari on Sunday, the Chief Minister said that the implementation of the project was in the hands of the Karnataka government.
“Everybody knows the Tamil Nadu’s stand on Mekedatu project. They [Tamil Nadu politicians] politicising the issue for electoral gains. Implementing the project is not at their hands, but in our hands and we would do it. We are firm on our stand and Tamil Nadu doesn’t have any powers to decide on the project. The project would be taken up through the legal battle,” Mr. Bommai said.
To a questions on the steel companies that had obtained approvals for establishing their plants in the Ballari district, the Chief Minister said that as many as 10 big companies were given permissions to establish their plants and they had not commenced their operations yet.
“We will examine the issue and find out the reasons for their [the companies’] for not establishing their operations before taking final decision,” Mr. Bommai said.
The Chief Minister also assured that a balancing reservoir would be built at Navali in Koppal district to balance the deficit of water storage caused by large quantity of silt accumalated in the Tungabhadra Reservoir.
Ministers Govind Karjol, B. Sriramulu and C.C. Patil, Parliamentarians Y. Devendrappa, Karadi Sanganna and Syed Nasir Hussein, legislators Somashekhar Reddi, Nagendra, Somalingappa, K.C. Kondaiah, Allam Veerabhadrappa, Shashil G Namoshi and E. Tukaram were present at the event.
