Chennai, August 27( BPNS)
Tamil Nadu water resources minister and senior leader of the DMK, S. Duraimurugan has said that the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) has no jurisdiction over the Mekedatu dam issue. He said that the issue was sub judice.
Duraimurugan while speaking in the legislative assembly said that there were reports on the CWMA discussing the Mekedatu dam issue and said that it does not have any jurisdiction to discuss the issue at all.
While responding to questions of members in the legislative assembly the octogenarian leader said, “We have filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India against construction of a dam at Mekedatu and we have also filed a contempt petition in the Central Water Commission against the Detailed Project Report( DPR) of the proposed dam. When the matter is in the Supreme Court, it is sub judice to discuss the issue in the Cauvery Water Management Authority. It is the stand of Tamil Nadu that it cannot be discussed.”
The TN water resources minister said that the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai who is the son of S.R. Bommai who was close to Kalaignar Karunanidhi, would not deviate from justice. He also said that S.R. Bommai was a towering leader of Karnataka and had filed a petition in Supreme Court against the central government misusing Article 356 to dismiss elected state governments. Duraimurugan expressed hope that a person with such a rich legacy would always stand by justice.
The minister said that he had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Jal Shakthi Minister, Gajendra Chauhan and the latter had told him clearly that the Union Jal Shakthi Ministry would accept the DPR only if Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry grants permission.
Duraimurugan agreed with AIADMK member, KA Sengottayian that none could defeat Tamil Nadu if everyone stood against the issue. He cited the example of all the political parties in the state standing united against the imposition of Hindi while supporting the two language policy.
He said that it was only after the state had approached Supreme Court on the suggestion of Kalaignar Karunanidhi that the state could get 205 TMC of water from the Cauvery river.
