Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said in his address to the Assembly on Thursday (June 18, 2026) that the Tamil Nadu government will take firm measures to prevent the Kerala government’s attempt to build a new Mullaperiyar dam and will take concerted action to carry out repair works in the dam area and raise the water level of the dam.

The Governor said the Mullaperiyar dam is the lifeline of the people of the southern districts. In 2014, the Supreme Court ordered that the water level of the Mullaperiyar dam may be raised to 142 feet and also advised that the level may be raised further to 152 feet after strengthening the dam.

“However, the government of Kerala, while continuing to refuse permission to carry out strengthening works on the dam, has instead been pressing its demand for building a new dam,” he said.

‘Mekedatu will affect farmers’

Noting the Cauvery delta region is the granary of Tamil Nadu and the farmers of this region depend on the Cauvery as their main water source, he said, “Tamil Nadu has had the right to use Cauvery water since time immemorial. Even after our right was upheld by the Supreme Court, we have to struggle every year to obtain Cauvery water.”

“Instead of giving our due share of water, only surplus water is being released to Tamil Nadu by the government of Karnataka. In this situation, the government of Karnataka is attempting to implement the Mekedatu project. If this project is implemented, agricultural production as well as farmers’ livelihoods will be severely affected. This government is taking necessary legal measures to halt it and to secure water for Tamil Nadu at the right time,” he said.

Structural reforms in HR&CE

To improve the administration of the State’s historic spiritual temples, the government will carry out structural reforms in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. Measures will be taken to fully audit all temple properties, lands, and endowment revenues and to introduce transparent computerised accounts, he said.

“Administrative malpractices that prevailed in earlier times will be completely eliminated and the government will ensure that all movable and immovable assets of the temples are used solely for their sacred purposes,” he said.

The government will also act on a war footing to fill the necessary posts of Assistant Professors and teaching staff that have been lying vacant for a long time in the State’s universities and higher education institutions in a transparent manner, strictly based on eligibility and merit.