Ramanagar: Water Resources Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi said the work on the much ambitious Mekedatu Dam across River Cauvery on Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border will start after the approval of the Union Government for Rs. 9,000 crore Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Speaking to reporters after visiting Ontegundlu — the proposed dam construction spot in Kanakapura taluk yesterday, the Minister said the project required around 5,252 hectare of land of which 3,181 hectare (61 per cent) was forest and 1,870 hectare (37 per cent) was social forest land. Since the major chunk of the proposed project land was forest, the permission of the Union Ministry of Forests, Environmental Sciences and Ecology was required.
