The debate over the Mullaperiyar dam cropped up in the State Assembly on Friday with the opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) accusing the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government of failing to protect the State’s interests.
Tamil Nadu had made effective use of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s remark that there was no need for concern regarding the safety of the dam, former Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala said, while taking part in a discussion on bills pertaining to the finance sector.
Mr. Vijayan’s remark had weakened the State’s position regarding the water levels in the dam, according to him.
Minister for Industries P. Rajeeve countered that the Chief Minister had merely intended to prevent false information from spreading on social media. The strong stand taken by the State Government in the Supreme Court had led to the upper rule level being maintained at 139.5 feet rather than 142 feet, he said.
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan of the Congress blamed the LDF government of backtracking on the State’s demand that the water level be fixed at 136 feet.
The matter came up in the Assembly just hours after Tamil Nadu started releasing water from the Mullaperiyar dam after water levels crossed 138 feet, the upper rule level valid till October 31.
The Assembly passed the Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill; the Kerala General Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill, and the Kerala Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill.
