T.N. CM writes to PM seeking intervention in dam row
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay asked the Prime Minister to intervene on approvals for the proposed Mekedatu project and to seek withdrawal of a Rajya Sabha reply dated July 27.
- The Cauvery basin water sharing dispute is governed by a tribunal award, and the Supreme Court can clarify how tribunal rules apply to new interstate projects.
- “Lower riparian consent” means downstream states’ consent before an upstream state builds structures that may change flow reaching downstream states.
- Central Government approval is treated by Tamil Nadu as necessary before Karnataka can build structures up to a certain height across the Cauvery, when lower riparian consent is lacking.
- Tamil Nadu requested withdrawal of a Rajya Sabha reply by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, which said the 16 February 2018 Supreme Court judgment did not require Karnataka to obtain lower riparian consent.
What happened
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking two related interventions connected to the proposed Mekedatu project on the Cauvery. Vijay asked the Centre not to grant statutory or administrative approvals for the Mekedatu project unless the proposal is shown to be consistent with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award and the Supreme Court judgment in the Cauvery dispute.Vijay asked for withdrawal of a reply made by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, in the Rajya Sabha on July 27.
Background: what the July 27 Rajya Sabha reply said and what Vijay disputed
The Mekedatu controversy shows how interstate river projects in the Cauvery basin depend on legal interpretations of tribunal awards and Supreme Court judgments, especially where “consent” and “regulated flow” are argued to be mandatory conditions.
