T.N. CM Vijay writes to PM Modi expressing concerns over inspection of Union govt. officials regarding Mekedatu dam project

CM Vijay said there was an apprehension growing among farmers of Tamil Nadu over the recent developments with respect to the proposed Mekedatu Dam Project of Karnataka

Published - November 07, 2026 05:18 pm IST - CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay urged the Prime Minister that no statutory or administrative approvals be granted without the consent of the co-basin States, while emphasising the need to ensure the sustained water availability in the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu. File | Photo Credit: Ragu R

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Saturday (November 7, 2026) wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his concerns regarding the site inspection conducted by the Union government officials in connection with the Karnataka government’s proposal to construct the Mekedatu dam.

He urged the Prime Minister that no statutory or administrative approvals be granted without the consent of the co-basin States, while emphasising the need to ensure the sustained water availability in the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu.

In his letter, Mr. Vijay said there was an apprehension growing among farmers of Tamil Nadu over the recent developments with respect to the proposed Mekedatu Dam Project of Karnataka.

“The said proposal of Government of Karnataka to construct Mekedatu reservoir across Cauvery with a huge capacity of 67.16 TMC, just upstream of inter-State border between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, would not only prevent the flows due to Tamil Nadu but also prejudicially affect the monthly deliveries to the inhabitants of Cauvery Basin of Tamil Nadu, as stipulated by the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” Mr. Vijay said in his letter.

There have been frequent news reports on Karnataka Chief Minister’s meeting with the officials of Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for clearance of DPR of Mekedatu Project, without the concurrence of Tamil Nadu, which keep the farmers of the State in a state of perpetual anxiety, he said.

“Earlier, a team of officers of the Government of India reportedly visited the proposed Mekedatu Dam site, as per the statements emanating from the State of Karnataka. The anxious farmers of Tamil Nadu view the site visit as an indication of tacit movement on a project that would jeopardise their very livelihood. Such actions, the purported site inspection by Government of India officials, have deepened the worries of the farmers of Cauvery delta, who are already struggling in this deficit water year (2026–27), due to Karnataka’s denial to ensure Tamil Nadu’s due share even on a pro-rata basis,” Mr. Vijay said.

Mr. Vijay also referred to his earlier letter dated July 28, where in he requested the Prime Minister to ensure that no statutory or administrative approval be granted to the Mekedatu Project, unless it is demonstrably consistent with the Final Award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) and the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Judgment.

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous Resolution on June 19, reiterating its demand on the proposed Mekedatu project and also filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court with a prayer to withdraw the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in December, 2025, on the preparation of DPR for irrigation and multi-purpose project proposals, exclusively for Cauvery basin, since the basin is held to be a deficit by the Tribunal in February, 2007. This matter is still pending in the Supreme Court of India, Mr. Vijay pointed out.

“It is vital that the rights of lower riparian States regarding both the quantum and regulated pattern of monthly releases remain fully protected and hence, consideration or examination of DPR of Mekedatu Project submitted by Karnataka or any unilateral technical evaluations or site inspections by central agencies at this juncture are highly inappropriate,” he said.

Published - November 07, 2026 05:18 pm IST

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