Tamil Nadu urged to keep project in abeyance Government to take all-party delegation to Delhi State to explore legal options to stop project BANGALORE: The Karnataka Government has decided to write to the Union Government to direct Tamil Nadu to refrain from going ahead with the Rs. 1,334-crore Hogenakkal drinking water project, as the Cauvery water sharing dispute is before the Supreme Court. The project is being taken up by Tamil Nadu to provide drinking water to Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts and is expected to be commissioned by 2012. Minister for Water Resources Basavaraj Bommai told reporters on Wednesday that he would write to the Union Water Resource Ministry requesting it to keep the project in abeyance since the final order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal had been challenged in the Supreme Court. Since the issue is before the apex court, the project could not be considered settled, he said and requested the neighbouring State to refrain from executing it. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa would write to his counterpart in Tamil Nadu appealing to that State to not to go ahead with the project till water and boundary disputes were resolved between the two States. A few days ago, Tamil Nadu Public Works and Law Minister Durai Murugan rejected Karnataka's demand for carrying out a joint survey of the boundary. "Tamil Nadu is firm to continue the ongoing project works and complete it as per schedule,' he said. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu share a 67-km border. The boundary between the two States had not been clearly demarcated. Mr. Bommai made it clear that if the Centre failed to direct the Tamil Nadu Government to not to go ahead with the project, the Government would take an all-party delegation to New Delhi to explain to the Union Government the illegality of the project taken up by Tamil Nadu. "We will convey our stand on the project to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.' After it all the political and administrative measures do not succeed, the Government would explore legal option as the last resort to stop execution of the project, Mr. Bommai said. Before the execution of the project, both States should decide whether the location of the project would be in Karnataka or Tamil Nadu. Both of them should also decide whether the project would utilise Karnataka's share of the waters or Tamil Nadu's, the Minister said. Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao, in a letter to his Tamil Nadu counterpart on March 27, said that the project work should not be started before discussing the matter with Karnataka. Though the State sought details of the project, Tamil Nadu had not given it. Officials of both States had decided to commence a joint survey of the boundary from May 4, 2008. But the Tamil Nadu officials did not attend the meetings held in Mysore. Following pressure from Tamil Nadu MPs, the Union Ministry of Water Resources has given permission to neighbouring State for the project for utilising 1.4 tmcft of water. But Tamil Nadu had not placed the project before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Mr. Bommai said.