Karnataka will continue pursuing the Mekedatu project on the Cauvery despite Tamil Nadu’s opposition, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, arguing that the proposed balancing reservoir can support Bengaluru’s drinking water needs while protecting Tamil Nadu’s allocated share of water.
Shivakumar said Karnataka would obtain the required forest and environmental clearances and proceed in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions. He said he was submitting the necessary documents to the Union ministries as part of the state’s effort to advance the project.
The Mekedatu project has remained a major point of disagreement between the two neighbouring states. Tamil Nadu has opposed the proposed reservoir, saying it could affect the interests of its farmers. Karnataka has maintained that the project would help meet Bengaluru’s growing drinking water demand and provide a buffer during periods of scarcity.
Responding to criticism from Tamil Nadu, Shivakumar invited the state government to send a delegation to examine the project. “Let them come with a delegation. I will show them and explain how this project will benefit them,” he said.
Shivakumar said the Supreme Court had recognised Tamil Nadu’s right to 177 TMC of Cauvery water and that Karnataka was duty-bound to protect that entitlement. At the same time, he said Karnataka had the right to build the dam and supply the allocated water. “It is our duty to protect their right. At the same time, it is our right to build the dam and provide them with water,” he said.
He also said all political parties in Karnataka had agreed that the Mekedatu project should proceed. The state government, he added, had urged the Centre to reject the Kasturirangan report, though the specific implications of that request for the project were not detailed in the statement.
The project’s progress will depend on the clearances and approvals required from the relevant central authorities, as well as the continuing interstate dispute. Shivakumar’s comments indicate that Karnataka intends to pursue the proposal through the administrative and regulatory process rather than treat the political disagreement as a reason to halt it.
At the same interaction, Shivakumar raised several Bengaluru transport and road-infrastructure issues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He sought equal funding from the Centre and Karnataka for Metro Rail projects, the constitution of a technical committee, faster execution of pending Metro projects and an extension of the Pink Line.
He also proposed flyovers and double-decker structures to address Bengaluru’s road constraints. Shivakumar said roads covered only about eight per cent of the city’s area, compared with 18 to 20 per cent in other places, while land acquisition for conventional road expansion could cost around Rs 50,000 per square foot. He said Karnataka was willing to share the expenditure on double-decker structures and that the Prime Minister had agreed to the proposal for an all-party delegation to discuss the issues.
The next steps on Mekedatu will centre on Karnataka’s submission of documents and its efforts to secure forest and environmental clearances, while Tamil Nadu’s objections remain an important part of the project’s regulatory and interstate context.
