No compromise on Mekedatu project, TN opposing it for politics: K'taka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai on Thursday asserted that there is no "compromise" on the Mekedatu project that the state wants to undertake across the river Cauvery, and accused the neighbouring Tamil Nadu of opposing it for the sake of politics.

"There is no compromise on the Mekedatu issue. In Tamil Nadu it is being used for politics, whichever party they may be from, they are opposing it for the sake of politics," Bommai said.

The chief minister's comments came on a day when the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP staged a hunger strike in Thanjavur against party-ruled Karnataka's move to build a reservoir on river Cauvery at Mekedatu.

Speaking to reporters here, Bommai said everyone is aware that the project is for drinking water, power generation and for the sharing of water during the distress period and pointed out about his meeting with the Union Jal Shakti Minister along with a delegation of MPs from the state in this regard.

"I'm confident that the DPR will be approved at the earliest, also we will get other clearances, and once we get it, it is certain that we will go ahead with the project. There is no compromise on this. If anyone is protesting, we have nothing to do with it, it is being done for politics, we will not take it into account," he added.

Mekedatu is a multipurpose (drinking and power) project, which involves building a balancing reservoir, near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district.

The project once completed is aimed at ensuring drinking water to Bengaluru and neighboring areas (4.75 TMC) and also can generate 400 MW power, and the estimated cost of the project is Rs 9,000 crore.

Last month, the then Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had written to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M K Stalin urging him not to oppose the Mekedatu project "in the right spirit" and offered to hold a bilateral meeting to address any issues.

In response, Stalin had urged Yediyurappa not to pursue the Mekedatu project, as he rejected Karnataka's stand that implementation of the project would not affect the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers.