The Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has reiterated its commitment towards building a new dam at Mullaperiyar amidst a raging debate surrounding some of its recent decisions on the issue.
Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty, who spoke on behalf of Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine in the Assembly on Tuesday, said the Government remained firm on its desire for a new dam and that a Chief Minister-level meeting would be held next month to arrive at a consensus with Tamil Nadu over the demand.
“Water for Tamil Nadu and safety for the lives and property in Kerala is the motto on the issue,” Mr. Krishnankutty said. A environmental impact assessment (EIA) was underway for constructing a new dam. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had granted conditional clearance for the terms of reference proposed by the Kerala Government in 2018.
While the Supreme Court had approved Kerala’s demand to construct a new dam 366 metres downstream of the existing one, the State would require clearance from the MoEFCC as well as nod from the apex court and the Tamil Nadu Government to proceed with the construction, he pointed out.
Fending off allegations over enabling Tamil Nadu to strengthen the Mullaperiyar baby dam, Mr. Krishnankutty said steps were afoot to nullify the permission that had been granted by the Chief Wildlife Warden for cutting 15 trees in the downstream of the baby dam. The senior official’s order and the subsequent decision by the Government to freeze the direction was debated in the House for the second day on the trot.
While many Opposition members accused the Government of betraying the State’s interests and weakening its case in the Mullaperiyar dam dispute, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan (Congress) accused the Government of granting permission without granting the requisite clearances.
Reacting to the alleged delay in nullifying the order, Mr. Krishnankutty said the Government had instituted a comprehensive probe into the circumstances that had led to the permission being issued. Legal aspects were being examined since senior forest officials were involved in the issue. Necessary steps would be adopted without delay, he added.
