Karnataka govt forms expert team for speedy implementation of Mekedatu Project
Bengaluru: Following the recent Supreme Court order, the Siddaramaiah government issued an order on Friday to form a specialised team under the leadership of the Director of the Karnataka Engineering Research Station (KERS) to expedite the implementation of the controversial Mekedatu Balanced Reservoir Project.
According to the order, the team will include the Deputy Chief Engineer along with other supporting staff and will operate from Ramanagara in Bengaluru South district, which has been designated as the project’s central base.
The government has also confirmed that a dedicated Mekedatu Project office will be established in Ramanagara, the neighbouring city of Bengaluru.
Earlier, on November 18, in a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who is also Water Resources Minister, it was decided to establish a Chief Engineer’s office and a Superintendent Engineer’s office to accelerate the implementation of the Mekedatu project.
However, the creation of these new offices and posts requires approval from the Finance Department, a process expected to take considerable time. In view of this delay, the government has assigned the responsibility for executing the project to the Director of KERS.
KERS has been instructed to form a team using its existing officers and employees to take forward the Mekedatu project. “The team will comprise: one executive engineer; three technical assistants; six assistant engineers; one assistant administrative officer; one accounts officer; superintendents and others.”
Arrangements for the project office building will be made by the Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL). The newly formed team will function under the administrative control of the Managing Director of CNNL. All expenses related to office operations, basic infrastructure, and other requirements will be met through funds provided by CNNL.
The order further instructs the Managing Director of CNNL to hand over all files, correspondence, and other documents related to the implementation of the Mekedatu Project to the Director of KERS.
It can be noted that Mekedatu is a proposed multi-purpose dam and balancing reservoir project on the Cauvery River near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district, Karnataka. The name Mekedatu means “Goat’s Leap”.
The project aims to store water (about 67 TMC) to supply drinking water to Bengaluru and neighbouring areas, and generate hydroelectric power (about 400 MW).
Tamil Nadu has been opposing the project, arguing that it could affect water available to its farmers and in the delta region, which relies on the Cauvery for irrigation and livelihoods.
In November, the Supreme Court rejected Tamil Nadu’s plea to stop Karnataka from preparing the DPR, calling it premature and misconceived, while affirming that Karnataka must continue releasing TN’s share of Cauvery water as per the tribunal award.