AMMK's Dhinakaran urges TN govt to move SC over alleged Mekedatu project activities

Chennai, July 6 (IANS) Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) General Secretary T.T.V. Dhinakaran on Monday urged the Tamil Nadu government to immediately move the Supreme Court with a contempt petition against the Karnataka government, alleging that it has initiated unauthorised activities related to the proposed Mekedatu dam project across the Cauvery river. 

In a post on X, Dhinakaran said Tamil Nadu farmers who recently visited the Mekedatu region had alleged that Karnataka had initiated survey work and other construction-related activities connected to the long-pending dam project.

He claimed that these activities were being carried out despite the legal and regulatory restrictions governing the project.

According to Dhinakaran, the Karnataka government has acted in violation of the Supreme Court’s verdict and the directions of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

He also accused the Congress government in Karnataka of repeatedly refusing to release Tamil Nadu’s rightful share of Cauvery water on time, alleging that the latest developments indicated it had no intention of abandoning its plan to construct the Mekedatu dam.

The AMMK leader said the reported activities had caused serious concern among farmers in Tamil Nadu, who fear that the proposed reservoir would adversely affect the state’s water security.

He noted that although the Tamil Nadu Assembly had earlier passed a unanimous resolution urging the Union government not to grant permission for the Mekedatu project, the present status of that resolution remained unclear.

Dhinakaran also criticised the Congress, accusing the party of adopting contradictory positions in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

He said that while the Tamil Nadu Congress had repeatedly assured people that it would not allow “even a single brick” to be laid for the Mekedatu dam, the Congress government in Karnataka was allegedly proceeding with work in the project area.

He urged Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to recognise what he described as the futility of relying on the Tamil Nadu Congress on the Cauvery issue and to take immediate legal and political action.

Dhinakaran appealed to the Chief Minister to approach the Supreme Court with a contempt petition against the Karnataka government for allegedly violating judicial directions.

He also urged Vijay to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in person and press the Union government to ensure that no approval is granted for the Mekedatu dam project, stressing that safeguarding Tamil Nadu’s water rights must remain the state’s foremost priority.