3 weeks ago
Premalatha urges TN CM to lead all-party delegation over Mekedatu
There is a big river in India called the Cauvery that flows through two states, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
Karnataka wants to build a huge dam called the Mekedatu dam on this river.
Tamil Nadu is worried that this dam would take away water that belongs to its farmers.
A leader named Premalatha, from a party called DMDK, thinks Tamil Nadu should ask the Prime Minister for help.
She wants the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to take leaders from all political parties to meet the Prime Minister.
They would ask the Prime Minister to stop the dam from being built and protect Tamil Nadu's water rights.
Premalatha is also worried about farmers because unexpected rains are spoiling the harvested paddy stored in bags in her area.
She asked the government to build warehouses to keep the grain safe.
She also suggested building small dams and collecting rainwater so Tamil Nadu always has enough water.
DMDK General Secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Mekedatu issue.
She said the Mekedatu dam should not be built and that Tamil Nadu's rights in the Cauvery must be given.
Premalatha recalled that late DMDK founder 'Captain' Vijayakanth led a similar all-party delegation to the PM during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition.
She demanded immediate construction of protective warehouses as harvested paddy was sprouting and getting damaged in villages such as Sathugudal and Kargudal due to unseasonal rains.
She called for check dams and effective rainwater harvesting for long-term water management and flagged that some TASMAC outlets still operate despite the government's claim of shutting 737 shops.
- Who
- Premalatha Vijayakanth, DMDK General Secretary and Vriddhachalam MLA, who urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to lead a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- What
- An appeal to form an all-party delegation to the Prime Minister to stall Karnataka's Mekedatu dam project and secure Tamil Nadu's rights over Cauvery water.
- Where
- Chennai, at the Secretariat.
- When
- Friday, August 7, following the Assembly session.
- Why
- To exert collective pressure on the Union Government and protect the state's farmers and their livelihoods.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Premalatha Vijayakanth, DMDK General Secretary and Vriddhachalam MLA
- Demand
- All-party delegation led by Chief Minister to meet PM Narendra Modi on Mekedatu
- Core Issue
- Karnataka's Mekedatu dam project and Tamil Nadu's rights over Cauvery water
- Date
- Friday, August 7
- Location
- Chennai Secretariat, after Assembly session
- Affected Villages
- Sathugudal, Kargudal, Karavelangurichi, Vayalur, Chinnaparur
- TASMAC Claim
- Government says 737 shops shut; outlets still operating in Saligramam
- Other Demands
- Protective warehouses, check dams, rainwater harvesting, early release of constituency funds
Quotes
Premalatha Vijayakanth
DMDK General Secretary, MLA, and political leader in Tamil Nadu
“"I placed a request today (at the Assembly) that our Chief Minister Vijay should unite all the leaders of Tamil Nadu and go meet the Prime Minister, just as Captain went and met him for the people, to say that the Mekedatu dam should not be built and our rights in Cauvery must be given."”
theprint.in
Sources
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