Janatal Dal (Secular) member H.C. Balakrishna’s question in the Legislative Assembly on Monday, on whether the State government proposes to construct a dam across the Cauvery at Mekedatu, went in vain after Minister for Major and Minor Irrigation M.B Patil ended his speech abruptly stating that he would convene an in-camera meeting to discuss the issue soon. The issue had ruffled the feathers of Tamil Nadu recently.
When Mr. Patil rose up to reply to a starred question, former Speaker and Congress member Ramesh Kumar intervened and said since the issue was a sensitive one, it should not be discussed on the floor of the House. Following this, Mr. Patil, acceding to Mr. Kumar’s request, instantly announced that he would convene an in-camera meeting over the matter.
However, Mr. Patil, in his reply to the question, stated that a Global Expression of Interest had been invited on October 25 to explore, survey and prepare the design and plan the estimate for the proposed balancing and storage reservoir across the Cauvery at Mekedatu.
