IDUKKI: Even as the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam touched 141.5 feet, a few inches short of the maximum level of 142 feet, the Deputy Collector, who was in charge of the safety measure coordination in connection with the 120-year-old reservoir, was transferred on Saturday.
The reason behind the transfer of Deputy Collector P Rajan, also the Assistant Cardamom Settlement Officer, at a time when the water level is inching towards the maximum level is unknown. He is now posted as Munnar Assignment Officer.
He was in charge of the coordination of revenue, police, health department and fire force and disaster management force in connection with the Mullaperiyar dam. Meanwhile, the Mullaperiyar Subcommittee, constituted by the Supreme Court-appointed High Power Supervisory Committee, visited the dam.
The subcommittee, comprising chairman Umberjee Harish Girish, Kerala Executive Engineer George Daniel, Assistant Engineer N S Praseed, Tamil Nadu engineers Soundaram and Madhavan, inspected baby dam, spillway and gallery besides the main dam. The seepage water in the gallery was marked at 145 litre per second. The inflow to the dam is marked at 1,144 cubic feet per second. However, Tamil Nadu continued to draw only 511 cubic feet water per second.