Silanthi check dam: Will uphold Tamil Nadu’s riparian rights, says Minister Duraimurugan

CHENNAI: Hitting back at Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami for his criticism of their government on the issue of Kerala constructing a check dam across Silanthi river, state Irrigation Minister and DMK general secretary Duraimurugan said that the Tamil Nadu government would uphold the riparian rights of the state if Kerala or Karnataka attempt to violate Supreme Court verdicts on Cauvery water dispute.

Recalling the categorical assertion of Tamil Nadu’s CWMA representative in the April 4, 2024, meeting of the authority that details of the micro irrigation schemes undertaken by Kerala and Karnataka in the Cauvery basin must be collected, Duraimurugan said that the additional chief secretary of irrigation of Tamil Nadu would continue to emphasise it in the future meetings and the government of Tamil Nadu would strongly oppose and uphold the Cauvery riparian rights of the state.

In a statement issued late on Monday, Duraimurugan referred to EPS statement on the Silanthi check dam issue and said that the people of the state have seen LoP Palaniswami maintaining a ‘suspicious’ silence on not only Cauvery issue, but many political issues like alliance. Reminding that EPS had gifted away 14.75 Tmcft of Tamil Nadu’s share of Cauvery water in the final verdict by maintaining stoic silence, Duraimurugan said that as far as TN government was concerned, whenever the governments of Kerala or Karnataka attempted to violate the February 5, 2007 interim award or May 16, 2018 final verdict of the SC, TN govt strongly opposed it politically and through the Centre and the CWMA.