K’taka CM Shivakumar highlights benefits of Mekedatu dam for TN in southern zonal council meet

Mahabalipuram, Aug 20 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday highlighted the Mekedatu reservoir project at the Southern Zonal Council meeting, describing it as beneficial not only to Karnataka but also to farmers in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Concluding his address to the 31st meeting of the council in Mahabalipuram, Shivakumar appealed for cooperation in resolving the long-running Cauvery water dispute.

He said Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had spoken to him while they were walking to the meeting and stressed the need for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to settle the issue.

“Every drop of water from the Mekedatu project will help farmers in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Help us help you,” Shivakumar said, presenting the proposed project as an opportunity for regional cooperation rather than confrontation.

He said rivers did not recognise political boundaries and called on southern states to move from disputes over water-sharing towards cooperation founded on equity, transparency and mutual respect.

Karnataka would place its detailed positions on the Krishna, Upper Bhadra, Mekedatu and river-linking projects before the council, he added.

Shivakumar also made a strong pitch for protecting the South’s political representation during any future delimitation of parliamentary constituencies.

Southern States, he said, should not be penalised for successfully controlling population growth in response to national policy. He urged the council to support a resolution freezing the present number of Lok Sabha seats and ensuring that the region’s representation was not reduced either numerically or proportionately.

Women’s reservation, he said, should be implemented without further delay within the existing strength of Parliament and should not remain dependent on a population census or delimitation exercise.

Turning to fiscal federalism, Shivakumar said the five southern states, with about 20 per cent of India’s population, contributed nearly 33 per cent of its GDP.

Karnataka generated nine per cent of national GDP despite accounting for only 5.5 per cent of the population, he said.

He maintained that Karnataka’s share in the divisible tax pool had declined from 4.7 per cent to 3.6 per cent under the 15th Finance Commission, causing an estimated loss of Rs 65,000 crore over six years.

Although the 16th Finance Commission raised the share to 4.131 per cent, he sought its full restoration.

Shivakumar also requested major central projects, including the Bengaluru-Mumbai high-speed rail corridor, an AIIMS in Raichur and a special package for Kalyana Karnataka.

He raised concerns over healthcare financing, education, coastal erosion, farmers’ welfare, rural banking, mineral taxation rights and drug trafficking, seeking stronger cooperation between the Union and southern states.

–IANS

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