Chennai, July 5(BPNS)

Tamil Nadu Minister for Water resources and senior leader of DMK, S Duraimurugan has left for New Delhi to meet Union Jal Shakthi Minister, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to discuss the Mekedatu dam issue.

Duraimurugan will meet the minister on Tuesday. Tamil Nadu has filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India challenging the Mekedatu dam project. Meanwhile, Karnataka has already filed an application before the Government of India to grant permission to conduct environmental impact assessment studies.

The multi-crore Mekedatur dam project by the Karnataka government is proposed across the Cauvery River near the inter-state border. Tamil Nadu fears that this would affect the flow of the river.

Duraimurugan while speaking to BPNS before leaving for New Delhi on Monday said, “I will be discussing with the Union minister on a wide range of issues pertaining to water resources but the focus will be on Mekedatu dam as well as the dam across the Markandeya river.”

It is to be noted that the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin had written a letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa stating that the construction of a major reservoir in the Cauvery does not augur well. Yediyurappa had written a letter to Stalin on Saturday that the implementation of the Mekedatu dam will not hamper the flow of Cauvery water and that Tamil Nadu will not be in any way affected by the construction of the dam.