Will secure Mekedatu nod from Centre, says Devegowda

NT Correspondent

Channapatna/Ramanagara

Janata Dal(S) national president HD Devegowda on Thursday vowed that he would secure Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government’s approval for the Mekedatu project before dying. Mekedatu, Kannada for “goat’s leap” is a multi-purpose project wherein a balancing reservoir would be built near the gorge which is home to the confluence of Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers in Ramanagara district bordering Chamarajanagar district. The project would provide 4.75 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (tmcft) of drinking water to Bengaluru and generate 400 MegaWatt of power.

The project has become a political hot potato because the Centre won’t approve it nor will neighbouring Tamil Nadu as they don’t favour Karnataka damming rivers upstream from their state. Devegowda made the comments at Hodikehosahalli village in Channapatna taluk of Ramanagar district on Thursday while campaigning for the JD(S) by-poll candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy. “If the Mekedatu project is to happen, only Prime Minister Narendra Modi can make it possible. There is no doubt about that.

However, Tamil Nadu has placed obstacles in our way,” Devegowda said. “Building the Iggalur dam was no small feat, but my time as Prime Minister was a result of divine intervention. I will appeal to Narendra Modi and present him with the reality of the situation. He has already listened to my requests several times,” he added.

HDK promises ST tag for caste On the occasion, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy said that he would push for the Ganga Matsya caste in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. “This community deserves political representation. DT Jayakumar from our party previously served as a minister, but recently, opportunities for this community have diminished.

I will make sincere efforts to include them in the ST category,” he said. Kumaraswamy reiterated the allegation that the Gangas, whose traditional occupation is fishing, had their livelihoods disrupted because fishing rights in local lakes were auctioned off exclusively to influential companies.