Dam at Mekedatu will affect farmers in Puducherry: Narayanasamy

Puducherry/Bengaluru: Puducherry’s Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said Wednesday if a dam is built across the Cauvery river by the Karnataka government in Mekedatu, it will adversely affect farmers in Puducherry’s Karaikal region.

The chief minister said he has conveyed this to Union Minister for Road Transport, Shipping and Water Resources Nitin Gadkari.

“If a dam comes up at Mekedatu as planned by the Karnataka government across the Cauvery river in Karnataka, farmers in Karaikal region would face serious setback for want of water for farm operations,” Narayanasamy told reporters here after returning from Delhi.

The chief minister said he has made it “very clear” to the Union minister that interests of riparian regions, including Puducherry, would be hit if the Karnataka government constructed the dam.

Narayanasamy said he has registered his protest with Gadkari over the Centre’s nod to Karnataka to prepare the Detailed Project report (DPR) for the dam. The Union minister was informed that there would be a violation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal if the project was pursued, he said.

The chief minister said he had also brought to Gadkari’s notice that “no move should be made to construct the dam without holding discussions with the riparian Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry”.

Gadkari has listened to the plea and indicated that the joint meeting with riparian states and Puducherry would be held in the next ten days by the Central Water Commission, he said.