DK Shivakumar urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite Mekedatu clearances and withdraw proposed Western Ghats restrictions. His appeals linked water security and local livelihoods with Karnataka's wider education and science priorities.Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar Mysuru,Nov 13, 2026 19:59 ISTKarnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday urged the Centre to speed up statutory clearances for the Mekedatu balancing reservoir project and withdraw the recommendations of the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Addressing the inauguration of the Centre of Space and Modern Optical Sciences (CoSMOS) in Mysuru in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shivakumar also asked the Centre to align corporate social responsibility initiatives with Karnataka's guidelines to help upgrade 1,000 government schools into Karnataka Public Schools.Shivakumar stressed the need for cooperation between the Union and state governments to address key development challenges.
Referring to the proposed Mekedatu dam, he said the Supreme Court had already delivered its verdict and the legal position was settled."Sir, you just saw the dam on the Cauvery. The Supreme Court has delivered a clear verdict to all of us that Mekedatu has to be built in Karnataka, and no one can stop it.
We want you to help us legally," he said, according to PTI. He urged the Centre to grant the final statutory clearances so that the drinking water project could proceed without further delay. "Let us all work together.
The Cauvery, which flows through this river basin, helps Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, Bengaluru and different regions. So, we want you to help us.
This is a balancing reservoir for drinking water, which will help Tamil Nadu as well," he said.Mekedatu is a balancing reservoir project across the Cauvery near Kanakapura, Shivakumar's home town. It aims to meet Bengaluru's drinking water needs and act as a buffer to ensure adequate water for Tamil Nadu during droughts.
Tamil Nadu opposes the project, saying it would harm its farmers. On the Western Ghats, Shivakumar said the Karnataka Legislature had unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Kasturirangan report's recommendations after extensive consultations in the affected regions. "We held consultations and passed a resolution.
We want a unanimous resolution opposing the Kasturirangan report, and we want you to help us on this," he told the Prime Minister.He asked the Centre to respect the sentiments of people in the region and withdraw the recommendations to protect local livelihoods. The Centre issued the seventh draft notification based on the Kasturirangan report on July 27, 2026, allowing 60 days for objections.
It proposes declaring 56,000 sq km across six states as an Ecologically Sensitive Area. Karnataka has repeatedly rejected the Centre's draft notifications.In Karnataka, 20,668 sq km across 33 taluks and 1,449 villages in Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Hassan, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Shivamogga and Udupi districts would come under the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area.
The state government says this would adversely affect farmers' livelihoods and future development.Raising concerns about primary education and migration to cities, Shivakumar said migration for education and employment was changing population patterns. Citing statistics, he said such migration had increased from 31 per cent in 2002 to 47 per cent in 2026 and could reach 70 per cent in the next two decades if the trend continued.To address the issue, he asked the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to issue advisories aligning corporate CSR initiatives with Karnataka's guidelines.
He said this would help upgrade 1,000 government schools into Karnataka Public Schools and strengthen public education."We want CSR guidelines for primary education. We want students in every village to have access to the same quality of education available in towns and urban areas.
I want you to give proper direction so that the CSR funds available go towards supporting the government and helping healthcare and students' education," Shivakumar said, according to PTI.Speaking about CoSMOS, Shivakumar said the facility would add a scientific landmark to Mysuru, a city known for its heritage, knowledge and culture. He thanked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for bringing the project to the city.Drawing a parallel with the Miyawaki-based Bharat Van initiative, he said, "If Bharat Van nurtures the future of our planet, CoSMOS will nurture the future of our young minds." A developed India needed both a greener planet and a generation of scientific thinkers, he said, adding that the inauguration was not merely about opening a planetarium but about encouraging curiosity and giving young minds a new direction.Highlighting Karnataka's contribution to India's space programme, Shivakumar said the country's space journey was incomplete without the state, from Aryabhata, India's first satellite, to Chandrayaan, Aditya-L1 and the upcoming Gaganyaan mission."India's rockets may rise from launch pads, but the ideas, engineering and scientific talent behind many of these missions have deep roots in Karnataka," he said.
He added that academic institutions in the state had encouraged students to participate in satellite development and space research, showing how young talent could contribute to national missions.Describing CoSMOS as an advanced facility offering an immersive experience of the universe, Shivakumar said making science experiential would turn curiosity into excitement and eventually innovation. He also called for scientific infrastructure to be made available across Karnataka instead of being confined to major cities."A student's opportunity to touch the sky should never depend on whether the child is born in Bengaluru or in a remote village," he said.
He asked the Department of Science and Technology to explore setting up a CoSMOS-like facility in North Karnataka.Shivakumar said the Mobile Digital Planetarium Project had enabled more than 19.21 lakh students and teachers to experience the universe in their schools. Quoting former President A P J Abdul Kalam's words that "dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts result in action", he stressed the need to support young researchers through fellowships, training and greater opportunities.He said the Karnataka Space Technology Policy 2025-30 aimed to support start-ups, strengthen research, develop skilled talent and encourage collaboration between industry and academic institutions.
Space technology had uses beyond rockets and satellites and could transform agriculture, weather forecasting, disaster management, communication and public services, he added.Shivakumar dedicated CoSMOS to Karnataka's students, researchers and people, while reiterating his requests to the Centre for Mekedatu clearances, withdrawal of the Kasturirangan report's recommendations and support for upgrading government schools through CSR funds.- Ends