Chennai: In the wake of media reports that the Karnataka government has approached the Central Water Commission (CWC) to seek technical clearance for the Mekedatu project across River Cauvery, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami yesterday wrote to Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, asking her not to accord clearance to the project till the issue is settled legally.

The CM claimed that the application of the Karnataka govt. before the CWC was in violation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT). He urged that no clearance should be given to Mekedatu or any other project in the Cauvery basin “till the concurrence of all the co-basin States is obtained by the Karnataka government; the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee are formed and come into force; and the judicial references are finally settled.”

The Chief Minister also suggested that the Ministries concerned might be requested not to accord any forest, environment, wildlife and other statutory clearances to the Mekedatu or any other project in the Cauvery basin till all the issues on Cauvery water dispute were finally settled.

“It is unfortunate that the Government of Karnataka, in violation of the final order of the tribunal and without obtaining the prior concurrence of the government of Tamil Nadu, has unilaterally sent the detailed project report of the Mekedatu project to the CWC for techno-economic clearance,” he noted.