Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced in the State Assembly that Tamil Nadu had discussed the issue and decided to file a petition to get construction halted.

Tamil Nadu Congress Committee President G K Vasan has expressed his concern that the proposed structure would pose a threat to farmers, particularly in the districts of Vellore, Thiruvallur and Kacheepuram, in the state’s northern region.

Another issue is that damming Palar river, which runs through both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, will deny several towns and villages drinking water.