The Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a special resolution opposing the construction of a dam across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu by the Karnataka government.
The resolution, moved by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, received support from all major parties, including the opposition DMK, AIADMK, and Congress.
The resolution urges the Union government not to grant any clearances for the project, citing the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court judgment.
It also criticises the Karnataka government for pursuing the project without respecting the designated Cauvery basin as a deficit basin and already allocated its waters among riparian states.
The House urged the Central Water Commission not to consider or grant approval to the detailed project report submitted by Karnataka and requested the Union government to constitute a new tribunal under Section 4 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.
Supporting the resolution, Congress MLA S Rajesh Kumar said the project posed a threat not only to agriculture but also to the drinking water rights of people in Tamil Nadu.
Leader of the opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin welcomed the resolution, saying the DMK had consistently opposed the project and would never allow Tamil Nadu's rights over the Cauvery river water to be infringed upon.
