Kerala Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph said on Thursday that the state would approach the Supreme Court if Tamil Nadu proceeded with its reported move to raise the Mullaiperiyar reservoir's water level beyond 142 feet.
He said key directions issued by the apex court on the safety of the reservoir have not been complied with. He further added that Tamil Nadu had failed to carry out inspections mandated by the Supreme Court.
In the state budget on Wednesday, Tamil Nadu government had announced its plans to pursue raising the water level of the dam located in Kerala's Idukki district.
The minister said the Tamil Nadu budget announcement was discussed at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Wednesday, following which an emergency meeting of the Water Resources Department was convened to assess the situation.
Speaking to reporters in Kottayam, Joseph said Kerala's stand remained unchanged that the water level should not be raised beyond 142 feet under any circumstances.
"Under no circumstances will Kerala permit raising the water level of the Mullaperiyar Dam beyond 142 feet. Kerala does not agree to it, and this remains the firm position of our state. We are passing through a period of heightened concern regarding the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam," he said.
Joseph said Kerala had also sought before the Supreme Court that the National Dam Safety Authority itself should conduct a comprehensive safety inspection of the Mullaperiyar dam.
"That inspection was supposed to take place before December 31. However, even a basic safety audit has not been conducted so far," he said.
The minister further said the Supreme Court had also issued directions regarding the strengthening of the Baby Dam, but those measures too remained unimplemented.
"At a time when even the safety inspection and strengthening measures directed by the Supreme Court remain incomplete, it is extremely unfortunate that Tamil Nadu has raised such a demand and made an announcement of this nature," he said.
Joseph said the 142-foot limit reflected the position accepted by the Supreme Court while safeguarding Kerala's interests and neither Kerala nor Tamil Nadu had the authority to alter it unilaterally.
"Therefore, Kerala's position is that the Supreme Court should examine positions acceptable to both states and resolve the issue. If the water level is sought to be raised, Kerala will approach the Supreme Court. The state government will firmly safeguard Kerala's interests before both the Supreme Court and the central government," he said.
"Our fundamental demand continues to be the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar. The issue must be resolved through mutual consensus in a manner that ensures Tamil Nadu gets the water it requires while guaranteeing the safety of the people of Kerala. That remains the state's consistent stand," he said.
Replying to a question on whether the previous governments in Kerala and Tamil Nadu had maintained better relations on the issue, Joseph said cordial ties had not translated into any tangible progress.
"What good relationship? Nothing happened over the last 10 years. Was any major decision taken during that period? Not a single decision was made. Relationships may have existed, but there was no actual progress, and we remain in the same position," he said.
On the appointment of Ashutosh Das of Odisha as Kerala's representative in the Mullaperiyar Expert Committee, Joseph rejected criticism over the appointment of a non-Keralite.
"There is no rule stating that only a Keralite can represent the state on the committee. Kerala's demand is that its representative should be appointed after consulting the state, just as Tamil Nadu nominates its representative," he said.
The minister said Kerala had objected when the Centre proposed a replacement after the removal of the state's earlier nominee, Shivarajan, without consulting the state government.
"I raised the matter with the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and requested that Kerala be allowed to select its own representative. The Centre later provided a panel of names. After evaluating candidates capable of effectively presenting Kerala's case and after discussions with the Chief Minister and the department, we recommended Ashutosh Das," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)