Union MoS L Murugan Calls for Balanced Approach, Says Inter-State Interests Must Be Guarded on Mekedatu
Amid a renewed political and legal showdown between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over the proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir project, Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, and Parliamentary Affairs, L. Murugan, called for absolute neutrality. Speaking to the media in Puducherry, the Union MoS emphasized that the Central Government would not compromise the legal rights of lower riparian states and underscored that the ultimate resolution must protect both states without any regional discrimination.
The statements follow a fresh escalation in the decades-old Cauvery basin conflict, triggered by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s renewed push for technical clearances from the Union Jal Shakti Ministry. This push comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling dismissing Tamil Nadu’s review petitions against the project as “premature.”
Key Takeaways from the Minister’s Address
- No Room for Regional Discrimination: Minister Murugan asserted that federal governance requires balancing the socio-economic needs of neighboring states. He stated that the Union government’s approach will remain entirely impartial, ensuring neither Tamil Nadu’s agricultural security nor Karnataka’s drinking water needs are prioritized at the cost of the other.
- Preserving Explicit Water Rights: Reassuring the farming communities in Tamil Nadu’s Delta region, Murugan declared, “On the Mekedatu dam issue, we cannot and will not surrender our legitimate rights.” He noted that any structural framework would heavily depend on the statutory regulations of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
- Adherence to Statutory Processes: The Minister reiterated that the Centre will proceed only through constitutional and legal consensus, balancing inter-state requirements in accordance with environmental clearances and water-sharing tribunals.
Context of the Resurging Disagreement
The complex geopolitical friction over Mekedatu—a proposed ₹9,000-crore reservoir near Kanakapura with a capacity of 67.16 TMC ft.—remains a highly sensitive political issue:
| State | Primary Stance & Objectives | Central Concerns & Arguments |
| Karnataka | Plans to build the reservoir to secure drinking water for the rapidly expanding Bengaluru metropolitan area and generate 400 MW of hydroelectric power. | Assures that the project will only utilize surplus water and will not disrupt the mandatory annual water releases allocated downriver. |
| Tamil Nadu | Strongly opposes any construction on the main stem of the Cauvery River, with Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay writing to PM Modi to halt the project. | Argues that an upstream dam alters natural flow patterns, violates prior tribunal awards, and threatens the livelihood of lakhs of delta farmers. |
With political organizations and farmers’ associations in Tamil Nadu threatening protests near the border and Karnataka accelerating pressure on central regulatory bodies, the Union Government finds itself navigating a delicate federal balancing act. Minister Murugan’s remarks signal that the Centre intends to leave the definitive decision-making in the hands of the technical experts at the CWMA and the Central Water Commission (CWC).
