India, May 26 -- A fresh political and legal confrontation has erupted over the proposed Mekedatu dam project, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate intervention to stop Karnataka from moving ahead with the project.

In his letter, Vijay alleged that the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project violates the Supreme Court's Cauvery water-sharing verdict as well as the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. He warned that the project could adversely impact lakhs of farmers dependent on Cauvery river water in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister questioned why the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Central Water Commission were considering Karnataka's proposal despi...