‘Consent Of Lower Riparian States Is Must’: Vijay Opposes Centre's Stand On Mekedatu In Letter To PM Modi

Published 28 July 2026 · india

‘Consent Of Lower Riparian States Is Must’: Vijay Opposes Centre's Stand On Mekedatu In Letter To PM Modi Published By, Last Updated: July 28, 2026

‘Consent Of Lower Riparian States Is Must’: Vijay Opposes Centre's Stand On Mekedatu In Letter To PM Modi Published By, Last Updated: July 28, 2026, 13:59 IST Vijay's letter came a day after the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha that Karnataka does not require the consent to implement the proposed Mekedatu project. Rapid Read It was the Chief Minister's second meeting with the Prime Minister in less than a month. (Photo: X/CMOTamilnadu) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and riased his concern over the Centre’s recent rely in the Rajya Sabha on proposed Mekedatu dam project on the Cauvery river, saying the response is “disappointing" as it overlooked settled legal principles governing inter-state river disputes. “This disappointing reply… seems to have been made without taking into consideration the prevailing legal position and settled law with regard to the consent of the lower riparian States," Vijay said in his letter. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay writes letter to PM Modi regarding Mekedatu Dam issue.“I wish to draw your kind attention to the reply in the Rajya Sabha by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti with regard to Mekedatu Dam where the Minister has stated that the judgment… pic.twitter.com/xKT4BlWrTg — ANI (@ANI) July 28, 2026 Disagreeing with the Centre’s interpretation, Vijay cited the Supreme Court’s 2000 judgment in the State of Karnataka vs State of Andhra Pradesh (Alamatti case), arguing that it clearly held that the consent of lower riparian states is mandatory.

Quoting the judgment, he wrote, “Nor can Karnataka State be permitted to construct up to that height without the consent of all other riparian States as well as without the approval of the Central Government." The Chief Minister also referred to provisions of the Cauvery Tribunal Award, arguing that any project capable of affecting regulated water flows must be examined for consistency with the tribunal’s directions. Vijay pointed out that Clause XI of the Tribunal Award bars upper riparian states from taking actions affecting scheduled water deliveries without mutual agreement and consultation with the regulatory authority, while Clause XX provides that modifications to the award can only be made through agreement among the party states. He also pointed out that the Central Water Commission had returned Karnataka’s DPR in 2019 for revision to ensure compliance with the tribunal award and applicable guidelines. Arguing that the Mekedatu proposal cannot be viewed merely as an engineering project, Vijay said its legal validity must first be assessed in light of the CWDT Award, the Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment and the rights of lower riparian states. He also noted that Karnataka’s DPR submitted in 2019 had been returned by the Central Water Commission for revision to ensure compliance with the Tribunal Award and applicable guidelines, which, he said, showed that such compliance remained an indispensable precondition. Seeking the Prime Minister’s intervention, Vijay urged the Centre to withdraw the reply given in the Rajya Sabha and ensure that no statutory or administrative approval is granted to the Mekedatu project unless it is demonstrably consistent with the CWDT Award and Supreme Court judgments.