Hogenakkal only dammed, not damned: CM

Mon, Apr 7 02:17 AM

The controversial Hogenakkal Integrated Drinking Water Project has just been put on hold for a month till an elected government assumes office in Karnataka, said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, in an article published in the DMK's mouthpiece, Murasoli, here on Sunday.

In an apparent bid to explain his backtracking from going ahead with the project, Karunanidhi said that the decision to wait for a month was taken in the interest of the public in both states. Any delay, he argued, would have only escalated the violence against one another in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Reacting to Opposition leader and AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa's allegation that he had betrayed the interests of Tamils by surrendering their rights, he said the scheme was only put on hold and not shelved. "I only said we would discuss the issue with an elected government as there is no government right now in Karnataka," he said in his article.

When the row erupted, the chief minister had taken a strong stand in completing the scheme, which was supported by all parties and social organisations. However, as concerns grew to agitations and subsequently to violence in both states, Karunanidhi had issued a statement calling for patience till a "popular government" is installed in Karnataka.

Notwithstanding the democratic principles that he based his arguments on, the Opposition was quick to allege that this was a result of an understanding between the Congress party - facing a three-way poll match in Karnataka - and the DMK. Soon after he announced his decision to wait, Jaya lambasted the CM for "betraying" the Tamils and "surrendering Tamil Nadu's rights" over the scheme.

Denying the allegation, Karunanidhi said that the decision was made considering the welfare of the people of the two states and not due to any request made by the Congress. There was no time to discuss the stand in the Assembly or other political parties, as any delay could only have resulted in a surge of violence, he reasoned.

Pointing out the efforts made by his Government to bring the drinking water project to fruition, the DMK leader recalled how the project was delayed for want of funds after the first proposal in 1997.

"Based on our request, the water resources ministry had discussed the proposal with the officials of Tamil

Nadu and Karnataka and issued an NOC for securing Japanese funding in September, 1998. However, the fund flow was affected due to the sanctions imposed after the Pokhran nuclear test, leaving the project in a standstill till 2001," he said.

After several attempts to attract funds from other institutions including the World Bank failed, the present government sent the proposal again to the Japanese officials following which official delegations of the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) visited the state in 2006 and 2007, he said.

Finally, the JBIC gave approval for the Rs 1,334 crore funding required to complete the project in January, and the Local Administration Minister and CM's son M K Stalin was able to secure the funding during his visit to Japan in February.

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