Chennai:  The Tamil Nadu government yesterday turned down the Karnataka government’s offer for talks on the contentious proposal for a dam project across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, citing the proceedings in the Supreme Court over the issue and contending that it was sub judice.

Tamil Nadu Law Minister C.V. Shanmugam said this in response to the recent letter written by Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who sought an appointment with TN CM Edappadi K. Palaniswami to discuss the proposed project.

“The request of the Government of Karnataka to discuss the Mekadatu project is an attempt to impede the proceedings pending on the application filed on 30.11.2018 by Tamil Nadu,” Shanmugam said in a letter to Karnataka’s Water Resources Minister.

He observed that the move by the Karnataka government is in violation of the final verdict of the Supreme Court on the inter-State river water sharing dispute.

He urged Karnataka not to take up any construction activities anywhere in the State’s Cauvery basin without prior consent from the Tamil Nadu government

The offer of talks was also an attempt to impede contempt proceedings initiated against Shivakumar and others in the Supreme Court on Dec. 5 this year and the matter was sub judice, Shanmugam pointed out and requested him not to go ahead with the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Mekedatu project.

“Any construction or even preparation of a DPR for construction of any new reservoir/project is a clear violation of the judgement of the Supreme Court. Hence, I request you to desist from preparation of a DPR for Mekedatu project. I also request the Karnataka government to comply with the judgement of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit,” Shanmugam said.

While Karnataka reiterates that not an inch of land would be irrigated in the State from the water of the reservoir, Tamil Nadu suspects that the construction of another dam on the Cauvery river would curtail the release of water to the lower riparian State.

No concurrence

The Karnataka government in violation of the Supreme Court judgement obtained permission from the Central Water Commission (CWC) to prepare a DPR for the Mekedatu project without the concurrence of Tamil Nadu and other co-basin States, Shanmugam added.

Last week, TN Assembly unanimously passed a resolution condemning the nod granted to Karnataka for preparing the DPR for the project and urged the withdrawal of the permission granted to the neighbouring State.