Chennai, March 7 (BPNS)

Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Youth Wing leader and former Union Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss has urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin to convene an all-party meet with immediate effect to discuss the Mekedatu dam issue. This is following the Karnataka Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai’s recent statement of its effort to construct a dam across Mekedatu river at a cost of Rs 1000 crores.

Anbumani Ramadoss in a statement said that the Karnataka Chief Minister had already issued a statement that he was traveling to New Delhi to meet Union water resources minister, Gajendra Shekhawat in this regard and get approval for the project.

The former Union Health Minister said that the statements of Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai and that of Union Water Resources Minister, Shekhawat in the past few days amounts to some moves regarding the Mekedatu dam.

He also said that even as the Mekedatu Dam issue is under the consideration of the Supreme Court of India, the statements of Karnataka Chief Minister and Union Water Resources minister are not in the spirit of Tamil Nadu. He called upon the Tamil Nadu government to take cognizance of the matter.

The former union minister also cited the example of Karnataka constructing a dam across ‘Thenpennai river’ even though they did not have had any right to do so.

The construction of a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu has been a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with the former moving the Supreme Court against the construction. An all-party delegation led by Tamil Nadu Water Resources minister, S. Duraimurugan had met the Union Minister for Water Resources, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat against the proposed dam.