Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah accused the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre of committing injustice to Karnataka with respect to the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project on Cauvery river.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, he condemned the Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's statement on the Mekedatu project, which is a bone of contention between Karnataka and neighbouring Tamil Nadu. According to him, the remarks of the Union Minister hurt the sentiments of the people of Karnataka, who are patiently waiting for the central government to give environmental clearance for the project.
Asking both the states to resolve differences through parleys, Shekhawat on March 5 said, "By sitting together, any sort of problem can be addressed. I wish all stakeholder states can sit together and address the issue so that this year onward the new Mekedatu project can see the light of day."
Shekhawat had also said the Centre is ready to facilitate talks between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the Mekedatu project across the Cauvery river.
Siddaramaiah said: "We were hoping the ‘Double Engine’ government (referring to the BJP being in power in Karnataka and at the Centre) will add speed to the realisation of aspirations of people, but in reality, both the engines have ceased to pull the state to a better today. Injustice from your government to Karnataka is not new even when it comes to irrigation and drinking water projects. Though legally resolved, Mahadayi project is yet to see the light and Mekedatu has become a political tool for BJP to influence Tamil Nadu electorate."
The Leader of Opposition in the assembly alleged that the Yettinahole, Upper Bhadra and Upper Krishna projects are progressing at a snail’s pace due to lack of adequate funds whereas the river linking project announced by the Centre is skewed to benefit only downstream Tamil Nadu. "It is clear that your government at the Centre has failed to grant necessary clearances and the state government has failed to enlighten the urgency of the project," the former CM alleged.
He alleged that Shekhawat's statement was politically motivated "to make inroads to Tamil Nadu and an attempt to mislead people of Karnataka."
Explaining from Karnataka's point of view, Siddaramaiah said the state has technical, moral and legal right to access excess water after releasing the rightful share of Tamil Nadu.
About 60-70 TMC of excess water flows to Tamil Nadu every year from the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, which otherwise, can be judiciously used to provide drinking water to Bengaluru and surrounding districts, he said. He said that the Mekedatu reservoir will serve best the purpose of storing this excess water and also generate 400 MW of electricity. He also alleged that Tamil Nadu is using the Cauvery issue just for political reasons.
Underlining the need for Mekedatu balancing reservoir project, he said the population of Bengaluru has already crossed 1.5 crore and more than 3.5 crore people are in the 12 districts where Cauvery water can be distributed.
Siddaramaiah said that only 30 per cent of people in Bengaluru have access to Cauvery water. Bengaluru, though being among the highest contributors to the growth of the country, is reeling under stress for drinking water, he said. "Mekedatu reservoir can address the challenges we are facing to ensure smooth distribution of water to Bengaluru region for next 50 years. The Karnataka government has sent two detailed project reports to the Central government for approval, and unfortunately, we are still awaiting the environmental clearance," the Congress leader said.
Siddaramaiah urged the PM to discuss the issue in the cabinet to make his colleagues understand the rights of Karnataka, to grant all the clearances at the earliest to implement the Mekedatu project, and to allocate additional funds for all the pending irrigation projects. In the state budget for 2022-23, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the Mekedatu project.
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