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All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP M Thambi Durai on Sunday affirmed that the recent escalation of the construction of the Mekedatu Dam in the Cauvery is being created by the Karnataka government unnecessarily.
Addressing the media, Thambi said that he raised the issue on behalf of the AIADMK at an all-party meeting conducted today on the Parliament premises. He said that the ongoing dispute regarding the river water has already been settled by the judiciary, referencing an earlier directive obtained during the tenure of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. "On behalf of AIADMK, we participated in the all-party meeting. The main issue we raised was regarding the construction of the dam in the Cauvery. Cauvery issue was already there when Madam Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister; she got the direction from the Supreme Court. Another 15 years, must not interfere, both the states must not interfere because it is affecting Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka, all those states," he said. He further said that as per the Supreme Court judgement, 18 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (TMC) of water has to be given to the people of Bangalore city. He emphasised that there is no objection to giving clean drinking water to Bangalore City. "The present Karnataka government is unnecessarily creating the problem. If they want the water for drinking water for the people of Bangalore city, the Krishna Raja Sagara dam is there in the Mysore area. If they want the water, they can take drinking water from the Krishna Raja Sagara to the people of Bangalore city because 18 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (TMC) of water has to be given according to the Supreme Court judgment. We have no objection to giving drinking water to the Bangalore city people. There is a way to get water for the Bangalore city people," he said. Durai added that there must not be any clash between the Tamil Nadu people and the Karnataka people, which happened during the time period of former Karnataka Chief Minister Saroopappa Bangarappa. Earlier on Saturday, stating that water from the Cauvery river is a fundamental right of the state, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar countered the DMK's demand to discuss the issue in Parliament, asserting that Karnataka's MPs will firmly present the facts of the matter before the country. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar dismissed the opposition from the neighbouring state and reiterated that the disputed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project is actually designed to benefit Tamil Nadu rather than Karnataka. "They will demand; no problem, we will also demand. I will also go to Delhi and tell our Members of Parliament to place the facts before everyone. Whatever the Cauvery issue is, it is our right," Shivakumar said. (ANI)
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