CM met PM without a DPR on Mekedatu project: DVS

MANGALURU: Union minister for law and justice D V Sadananda Gowda said the state government needs to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on Mekedatu project immediately.Gowda said it is not fair on part of the Tamil Nadu government to use Mekedatu issue for political mileage. He was speaking to reporters on Sunday.
“It is a welcome gesture that chief minister Siddaramaiah has met PM Narendra Modi with regard to Mekedatu project.However, it is the responsibility of the state government to prepare a DPR on Mekedatu,”he said.He added that Siddaramaiah has met Prime Minister Modi without bringing a DPR. “Even as Tamil Nadu government is politicizing the issue, Karnataka should have prepared the DPR immediately,” Gowda said.“Mekedatu is within the limits of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has no rights on it. A small reservoir already exists there. Now it is being developed into a bigger one. The project will ease the water scarcity crisis of Bengaluru and also will produce 400 MW of electricity. The state should convince the Centre that the project will also help Tamil Nadu in getting drinking water during a drought situation,” Gowda said.
On the Real Estate Regulatory Bill amendment, Gowda criticized Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for opposing it. “It is not fair to oppose the Bill in the initial stage. Let him (Rahul Gandhi) debate the issue inside the Parliament. There is no use speaking about it in public. The amendment, in no way, is helpful to real-estate industrialists. The government is bringing the amendment with the objective of making the law favourable for the common man,” he said, adding that Rahul should shed immature politics."Rahul Gandhi should know what position he is holding in his own party. Congress is indulging in the politics of slander. People of the country will not tolerate this," he said.