CHENNAI: The first meeting of the committees formed for resolving inter-State water disputes between Kerala and Tamil Nadu was held in Chennai on Thursday. After the meeting, Tamil Nadu government expressed confidence that an amicable solution could be arrived for the water disputes with Kerala including the Parambikulam-Aliyar project. Kerala has suggested that the next meeting of the committee on PAP could be held at Thiruvananthapuram in the last week of January or in the first week of February 2020.
“It is a long-pending issue. At the first meeting itself, we cannot find a solution. But both states are considering the views of each other to arrive at a cordial solution,” Tamil Nadu Public Works Department Secretary K Manivasan said when asked whether any decision was taken at Thursday’s meeting. Kerala Water Resources Secretary B Ashok and senior officials from Kerala and Tamil Nadu took part.
Asked whether the pending petition of Kerala regarding PAP was discussed at the meeting, Manivasan said “We are more concerned about sharing the waters for the people of both States under this project.”
Manivasan recalled that Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan had held talks in September last regarding the inter-State water disputes between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Following that, two official level committees were formed for resolving the issues relating to Parambikulam-Aliyar project and for executing Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project.
Manivasan said sharing of water during distress period, execution of the PAP project, its technical aspects and how to make it beneficial for the people of both States were discussed during the first meeting. The requests made by the Kerala government as well as the farmers of Tamil Nadu regarding the PAP project were deliberated. During the meeting, Kerala wished that the meeting of the joint working group between the two States should be conducted further. A decision in this regard would be taken in consultation with the chief minister.