Kerala today began the survey to build a new reservoir to replace the 113-year-old Mullaperiyar dam even as wranglings between Kerala and TN, which opposed the move, intensified.
Kerala today began the survey to build a new reservoir to replace the 113-year-old Mullaperiyar dam even as wranglings between the state and neighbouring Tamil Nadu, which opposed the move, intensified.
As a team of engineers began the survey, Kerala chief minister VS Achuthanandan accused his counterpart M Karunanidhi and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa of deceiving people by opposing the construction of a new dam.
"By kicking a controversy over Kerala's position on the issue, Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa are actually deceiving the people of both the states," Achuthanandan told reporters here.
The existing structure, located on the inter-state Mullaperiyar river, posed a grim threat to the lives of four million people and it was the state government's responsibility to ensure their safety and security, he said.
Kerala had never said it would deny water from the dam to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister clarified.
Tamil Nadu would have to finally accept Kerala's stand since the issue involved is the people's safety, he said.
His comments were in response to strong stand taken by Karunanidhi and Jayalalithaa on Centre's permission to Kerala to undertake a survey for constructing a new dam. Meanwhile, a team of officials led by an executive engineer, started the survey in the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) in Idukki district, for which clearance was recently given by Union forest and environment minister Jairam Ramesh.
According to officials here, the survey is being conducted by "strictly following the conditions" laid down by the Centre. The team was instructed to carry out the work without causing any disturbance to wildlife or harming the ecology.
The current round of survey was being conducted in about 3km stretch which comes under the ambit of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The state had earlier done the survey in about 7km stretch which is outside the PTR.
The two states have been at loggerheads over the dam issue with Tamil Nadu opposing the approval for conducting survey for building a new dam in place of the existing one. Tamil Nadu opposed the survey on the ground that the case is before the supreme court.
Meanwhile, state water resources minister NK Premachandran said Kerala government was ready to hold talks and allay Tamil Nadu's apprehensions over the issue.
Since both ruling and opposition parties in Tamil Nadu had come out against the proposal for a new dam, Kerala was ready to talk to an all-party delegation from the neighbouring state to remove any misgivings, he said in Thrissur.
Taking objection to Jayalalithaa's remarks comparing the plan for a new dam to that of "China constructing dam over the Brahmaputra", Premachandran charged that such comments could be seen only as part of making political gains by "fishing in troubled waters".
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