Bengaluru, Jul 3 : Asserting that Mekedatu drinking water project was needed for Karnataka, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Saturday urged his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin to not oppose the project “in the right spirit” and offered to hold a bilateral meeting between both states to address any issues.

In a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, he said the project envisages a balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu, aiming to cater to the drinking water needs of the Bengaluru metropolitan region which was opposed by Tamil Nadu.

On the implementation, he said project in no way affects the interests of the farming communities of Tamil Nadu,” chief minister pointed out that Tamil Nadu had moved the Supreme Court against the project. Karnataka, too, has filed an application before the Centre seeking approval for Terms of Reference (ToR) to conduct Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, he said.

Yediyurappa further stated that Tamil Nadu itself had taken up two hydro-power projects at Kundah and Sillahalla in the Bhavani sub-basin of Cauvery. “The Government of Tamil Nadu has neither entered into any kind of negotiations nor secured consent from Government of Karnataka for the above projects in Cauvery basin.
In the interest of all concerned and to have a better relationship between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu government in the light spirit would not oppose the implementation of the project,” Yediyurappa said.

Yediyurappa, who also holds the water resources portfolio said the Mekedatu balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project will regulate the flow of water to Tamil Nadu as per the final orders of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) and the Supreme Court. This will be used to generate 400 MW power and utilize 4.75 tmc water for Bengaluru. “Overall, this project would immensely benefit both the states, he added.(UNI)