CM writes to PM Modi opposing Karnataka's Mekedatu bhoomi puja, calls it a clear violation of SC verdict

Press Release Letter written today (26.05.2026) by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Thiru Narendra Modi, regarding the "Bhoomi Puja" proposed by the Government of Karnataka for the Mekedatu Dam across the Cauvery river, in order to safeguard Tamil Nadu's rights and protect the interests of farmers. The Text of the letter addressed to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India Thiru Narendra Modi, from the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, regarding the proposed Mekedatu Project across the river Cauvery: I wish to bring to your kind notice that Karnataka, in utter violation of the Judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court and the Final Award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT), has announced the "Bhoomi Puja" of the Mekedatu reservoir on the river Cauvery. The public utterances of the Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka to this effect have caused a lot of concern among the lakhs of farmers of Tamil Nadu who depend on the Cauvery river for their livelihood. You may be well aware that a solution to the sensitive Cauvery water dispute was obtained after a long legal battle lasting about three decades, and the Judgment dated 16.02.2018 is under implementation. The Mekedatu Project is not in the list of projects permitted by the Tribunal, which has been affirmed by the above Judgment. There is no scope for additional utilisation or for creating a new huge storage reservoir, since the Cauvery basin is a deficit basin and the water available at 50 percent dependability has already been allocated to the party States. Therefore, planning any new project across the Cauvery or its tributaries, other than those specifically permitted by the Tribunal in its Final Award as affirmed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court's Judgment dated 16.02.2018, would amount to interfering with the said Judgment. Tamil Nadu firmly believes that by proposing a new Mekedatu Project with a storage capacity of 67.16 TMC just upstream of the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, the State of Karnataka is attempting to prevent the flows generated in the uncontrolled catchment - one of the three components from which flows are to be ensured to Tamil Nadu, as per the Final Award as modified by the Supreme Court's Judgment. Further, in its Judgment dated 16.02.2018, the Hon'ble Supreme Court held that the upper riparian State shall not take any action so as to affect the scheduled deliveries of water to the lower riparian State. Hence, Karnataka's proposal to construct a new reservoir would amount to a clear violation of the said Judgment. In this connection, I bring to your kind notice that when Karnataka attempted to obtain Terms of Reference (ToR) for conducting an EIA study, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF & CC), at its meeting held on 19.07.2019, opined that in view of the inter-State issues involved, an amicable resolution needed to be reached between the States, and returned the proposal. It may also be noted that MoEF & CC has not even issued Terms of Reference (ToR) for the EIA study, and therefore Karnataka's attempt to proceed with the Mekedatu Project is a blatant violation of not only the Supreme Court's Judgment but also of existing environmental laws. In this scenario, it is surprising that the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and the Central Water Commission (CWC), which are mandated to implement the Judgment dated 16.02.2018 in letter and spirit, are entertaining Karnataka's Mekedatu proposal without considering the plea of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Under these circumstances, I request you to instruct the concerned officers in the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission to reject the DPR of the Mekedatu project proposal, as it contravenes the Final Award of the CWDT dated 05.02.2007 and the Supreme Court's Judgment dated 16.02.2018, and to advise the Government of Karnataka not to take up any new project without the concurrence of co-basin States, and not to violate the Supreme Court's Judgment in any manner. Issued by: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9