Overview
- The Supreme Court dismissed Tamil Nadu’s review petition on the Mekedatu project, a development Karnataka welcomed and which Karnataka says it accepted on May 26.
- Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said the state will proceed and is submitting a revised Detailed Project Report to the Centre and the Central Water Commission for technical clearance.
- The project is designed to supply about 4.75 tmcft of drinking water to Bengaluru and potentially generate roughly 400 MW of power, according to Karnataka officials.
- Tamil Nadu’s government and farmer groups continue to mount legal objections and street protests, arguing additional upstream storage could threaten delta irrigation and livelihoods.
- The dispute has split the Congress across states, prompted a boycott by MP Manickam Tagore, and intensified attacks from the BJP and regional parties as the matter moves into central review and possible further litigation.