Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to support and approve the Mekedatu dam project, saying the proposed project would also benefit Tamil Nadu. Shivakumar made the appeal during a function in Mysuru after Modi inaugurated the Cosmos–Mysuru planetarium at the foothills of Chamundi Hills on Friday.
The chief minister said Karnataka needed the Centre’s cooperation for the Mekedatu project and appealed to the prime minister to grant the required approval. He said the project could not be stopped and that it would be beneficial to Tamil Nadu as well, according to the report published by Prajavani.
The appeal places the long-pending Mekedatu proposal back in the public spotlight. The project is a major inter-state water infrastructure issue involving Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with its progress dependent on approvals and coordination at the Union government level. Shivakumar’s remarks did not include a new project timeline, estimated cost or details of any fresh approval process.
The chief minister made the request at an event organised for the inauguration of Cosmos–Mysuru, described in the report as the country’s first LED curved-dome planetarium. The facility, intended to support cosmology education, research and training, has been built at a reported cost of ₹115 crore.
Speaking after the inauguration, Shivakumar said the centre could help nurture young minds and become a major landmark for Karnataka. He said students from all parts of the state should have access to world-class scientific education and that his government would provide the required support. He also said Karnataka had formulated a space technology policy and sought cooperation from the Centre to encourage the sector.
The chief minister also raised the issue of the Kasturirangan report and sought the prime minister’s cooperation on it. In another request, he called for a corporate social responsibility policy for primary education so that CSR funds could reach government schools. He urged the Centre and the state to work together for development.
The Mekedatu proposal has remained politically and administratively sensitive because of its implications for the Cauvery river system and the competing water concerns of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The report, however, does not provide details of any response from the prime minister or specify whether a fresh decision on the project was announced at the Mysuru event.
The immediate next step indicated by the Karnataka government is to seek the Centre’s cooperation and approval for the project. No new deadline, clearance or implementation schedule was announced in the statement reported from the event.
