THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), under the Jal Shakti Ministry, has directed the state government to nominate a new representative to the Independent Panel of Experts tasked with conducting the Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation of the Mullaperiyar dam.
Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph confirmed receiving the notification. The Centre’s directive follows strong objections raised by the state over the unilateral removal of T R Sivaraj, who was previously representing the state on the evaluation panel. Mons stated that the state government will soon submit the name of a qualified expert to be included in the panel.
In a recent communication, the Union government had informed the state about the exclusion of T K Sivarajan, saying he was “not available.” This happened while Sivarajan was on a foreign trip.
Though Sivarajan had informed both the state government and the CDSEC that he would be abroad for a family wedding, the prior intimation was used as a pretext to drop him. Neither Sivarajan nor the Kerala government received any query on his availability during the period.