Chennai/Bangalore (PTI): The controversial Hogenakkal drinking water project involving inter-state Cauvery river came to the fore again today with Tamil Nadu asserting work on it was on track and Karnataka declaring it will seek prime minister's intervention on the vexed issue.

"The chief minister (M Karunanidhi) had put the project on hold last year only to avoid any confusion or violence whatsoever at that time (as assembly elections were due in Karnataka). The project is now on track and is expected to be completed by 2012," Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin told the state assembly.

The Rs 1,334-crore project, facing opposition from Karnataka since it envisages drawing water from Cauvery over which the two states are already locked in a dispute for decades, was expected to be completed by 2012, Mr. Stalin said.

In a swift response, Karnataka Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the state had maintained a consistent stand that it had objections to the location and scope of the project. It had already sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention.

"We want the prime minister to intervene and settle the issue once and for all," he said.

Karnataka wanted the location and scope of the project to be identified after a joint survey, he said, adding "the state's interest (in sharing Cauvery waters) should not be jeopardised because of the scope". He hoped the issue could be settled amicably.