Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing concern over site inspection by union government officials regarding Karnataka's Mekedatu dam proposal.

The letter was also published via the chief minister's official 'X' account.

In the letter, Vijay opposed Karnataka's proposal to construct a reservoir across the Cauvery "with a huge capacity of 67.16 TMC," just upstream of the inter-state border, as it would not only prevent flows to the state but also prejudicially affect the monthly deliveries to the inhabitants of Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu as stipulated by the Supreme Court.

The chief minister stated that the farmers of Tamil Nadu view the site inspection as a "tacit movement on a project that would jeopardize their very livelihood".

The letter further notes that site inspections at this juncture of the issue are "highly inappropriate".

Further, emphasising the need to ensure sustained water availability in the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu, Vijay demanded that any further administrative or technical action arising from recent site inspection by officials be deferred.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister urged the prime minister to not grant statutory, or administrative approvals without the consent of co-basin states and requested that Karnataka be advised to not proceed with the project without the consent of co-basin states.

(With inputs from PTI)