IDUKKI: “I will fight for the safety of Mullaperiyar dam till my last breath. I will die only after getting to hear that a new reservoir will be constructed at Mullaperiyar,” says nonagenarian Chellamuthu Nadar better known as Mayilappan, one of the prominent faces of the Mullaperiyar Samara Samiti, and a constant presence at the permanent pandal of the Samiti in Chappathu here till the past few days before his condition got worse.
The ailing fighter says he would have believed the words of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the Mullaperiyar reservoir is safe had it been earlier. Mayilappan says the 121-year-old dam cannot survive a great flood like that of 1924 which he himself had witnessed.
Although a few like Mayilappan still wants a new dam at Mullaperiyar, most of the striking people now want only an assurance that the over a century-old reservoir is safe, but not from any national committee, but from any international agency. Taking strong exception to the remarks of the Chief Minister on the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam and the SC-appointed high power committee findings, the protesters termed the statements “biased” and “uncalled for.”
“We are ready to withdraw our strike that entered 2,994th day on Thursday, if an international agency of dam expert certifies the Mullaperiyar dam is still safe. Our motto is ‘Safety for Kerala and Water for Tamil Nadu.’ We are not raising the old slogan ‘New Dam and New Agreement’ anymore,” says Shaji P Joseph, one of the residents of danger-prone Chappathu and also the vice-chairman of the Samara Samiti.
“However, such remarks will only favour the Tamil Nadu Government in the issue. Even if he withdraws the statement, it will definitely affect the prospects of the state in the Mullaperiyar case,” says Adv Stephan Isaac, another resident of the area and legal advisor of the Samiti.
Fr Robin Pendanathu, chief patron of the Samiti, said if nothing positive comes out in their meeting with the Chief Minister on Thursday in Thiruvanananthapuram in this connection, they would take up the issue legally.
“We will kick-start mass protests in case if the government fails to take us into confidence. We only demand the safety of people through the safety of the dam. We want an independent international agency’s certification for the dam,” he adds.
Not only the Samiti leaders, but the local residents as well are anxious about the government stance on the dam. Chandran of Vallakkadavu and Duraipandyan of Maruthan Peta also think the government should convince them before taking any stand on the issue.
Seventy-two-year-old Anpayyan, who had even tried to set himself ablaze using kerosene over the Mullaperiyar issue in 2006 when the protest was at its peak, feels a solution is possible only through a consensus between the two states.