New Periyar dam politics bursts

Chennai: Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam on Saturday urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Environment and Forests to withdraw the clearance given by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wild Life for conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the construction of a new Mullaiperiyar Dam by the government of Kerala.

Following the consent given by the union ministry of environment and forests to the proposal by the government of Kerala for conducting an EIA study for construction of a new Mullaiperiyar dam in a 10-kilometer radius of the proposed dam site, the CM pointed out that ‘the Supreme Court of India in its judgement dated May 7, 2014 had categorically held that the government of Kerala is prohibited from constructing a new dam.’

“In its judgement, the SC had relied upon the report of the Empowered Committee headed by Dr Justice A.S. Anand which had held that since the existing dam was found safe, the proposal of the State of Kerala to build a new dam requires reconsideration. The EC had also found that the Mullaiperiyar Dam is hydrologically, structurally and seismically safe to raise the water level in the dam to 142 feet initially,” he said.

Panneerselvam stated that even when the matter had reached finality, the government of Kerala has again approached the National Wild Life Board by not revealing the entire facts. “The people of TN are therefore justifiably perturbed over the clearance given to the government of Kerala for conducting the EIA study for construction of a new dam,” he said. The Mullaiperiyar Dam is owned and operated by the Government of Tamil Nadu under the lease agreement of 1886. The rights of Tamil Nadu, under the agreement of 1886, have been crystallised in the most recent judgement of the SC and operate as res judiciata against Kerala.