Puducherry: The Union Territory of Puducherry will oppose the construction of the Mekedatu dam over Cauvery river by the Karnataka government. Chief minister N. Rangasamy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Jal Shakti minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat regarding the Union Territory's stiff opposition to the Mekedatu dam project which would result in depriving several areas of the union territory of Puducherry without water including Karaikal.
The chief minister had called upon the state public works minister K. Lakshminarayanan and other officials to study the impact of the reservoir on the people of Puducherry. If the dam is constructed across the Cauvery, the Karaikkal region of the union territory of Puducherry, which is the tail end of the Cauvery, would be seriously affected and both drinking water and water for irrigation purposes would be dried up.
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Chief minister Rangasamy has in his letter to the Prime Minister and Union Jal Shakti minister written strongly that permission must not be granted to Karnataka for the construction of the dam. Interestingly, both Puducherry and Karnataka are governed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). An all-party delegation from Tamil Nadu will be meeting Union Jal Shakti Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday. The main opposition, AIADMK which is an ally of the BJP in Tamil Nadu has strongly expressed its opposition to the Mekedatu dam.
D. Jayakumar, AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu minister who will represent the party in the New Delhi meeting, told IANS, "Tamil Nadu has all the right for Cauvery waters and we are strongly opposed to the construction of a dam at Mekedatu across Cauvery. We have extended our full support to the chief minister of Tamil Nadu regarding this and has already passed a resolution against the construction of the dam. I am part of an all-party delegation that is meeting the Union Jal Shakti Minister on Friday." The Tamil Nadu government has passed three resolutions against the Mekedatu dam project and has urged the union government not to give sanction to the proposed dam.
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(IANS)
