Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for speedy implementation of the Godavari-Cauvery-Gundar link project. This may be given the status of a “project of national importance,” he said.Tamil Nadu is inherently deficient in surface water resources and depends upon neighbouring States for more than 30 per cent of its water requirements. Groundwater resources have also been exploited to critical levels, with several regions continuing to experience overexploitation despite the sustained regulatory and conservation measures undertaken by the State Government.Tamil Nadu southern districts like Pudukkottai, Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar, are chronically water scarce and highly drought-prone. The most sustainable means of addressing their growing water requirements, therefore, would be the implementation of the Godavari-Cauvery–Vaigai–Gundar Link Project, which would facilitate the transfer of surplus floodwaters from water-surplus basins to water-deficit regions, said the Chief Minister Vijay in a letter to Prime Minister Modi on Thursday.The National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has prepared the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Godavari–Pennar–Palar–Vellar Link as Phase I of the larger project. This component is envisaged to benefit Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. However, the alignment covered by the DPR presently terminates a few kilometres upstream of the Cauvery River.“May I request that the project of inter-linking of Godavari – Cauvery – Gundar rivers which is a project of National importance be taken up on priority basis,” says the letter.“I am confident that this project can be achieved and differences between States can be resolved through constructive consultation and cooperative federalism, keeping in view the larger national interest,” the letter said.The constitution of a dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle, with the participation of the Government of India and the beneficiary States, may also be considered to facilitate coordinated implementation, assured funding and timely completion. Its early execution would benefit the people and farming communities of Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.Vijay urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the NWDA to expedite consultations with the stakeholder States and facilitate an early consensus on the outstanding issues; finalise the DPR for extending the link up to the Kattalai Barrage across the river Cauvery; accord priority to the project and take it up for implementation as a National Project on a fast-track basis; and consider establishing a dedicated Special Purpose Vehicle for its coordinated and time-bound execution and declare the project as a project of national importance.“Your personal intervention in this matter would contribute significantly to achieving long-term water security for the water deficit regions of southern India and advancing the national objective of equitable and sustainable utilisation of our precious water resources,” the letter said.Published on August 6, 2026
