IDUKKI: Tamil Nadu Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy on Tuesday ruffled feathers in Kerala after he asserted that water level in the Mullaperiyar dam will be raised to 152 feet.
“The DMK government will make this dream of Tamil Nadu a reality,” Periyasamy told reporters after assessing the rain damage in TN’s Theni district. He also said the TN government will take every measure to keep the dam safe and will not give a “single piece of earth” in Mullaperiyar to Kerala.
His statements did not go down well with the government. Water Resources Ministers Roshy Augustine said he didn’t understand on what grounds Periyasamy made the statement before the media.
“The Mullaperiyar dam issue is under the consideration of the Supreme Court, which had directed maintaining the water level at 142 ft.
I do not understand on what grounds the minister made the statement that the water level will be raised to 152 ft,” he said. He also said Kerala will not let Tamil Nadu take even an inch of land other than the area covered in the Periyar Lake Lease Agreement of October 1886.
Meanwhile, reacting to Kerala’s previous refusal to let TN carry out maintenance work at the Mullaperiyar dam, Periyasamy said as per the SC verdict, Tamil Nadu has the right to carry out the maintenance works on the dam.
The TN chief minister had decided to discuss the matter with the Kerala CM during his visit to Vaikom, he said.
Kerala granted TN permission to carry out maintenance works on the dam last week. The order was issued by the additional chief secretary of water resources department, with specific conditions for seven works.
As per the order, TN will carry out temporary maintenance, including cement painting on the dam and spillway, to alleviate public concerns until a new dam is built. It said the works must be carried out only in the presence of the executive engineer of the Idukki minor irrigation division or an officer assigned by him.
TN must provide advance notice about the dates and times for transporting construction materials, it said, adding that vehicles will only be permitted between 6am and 6pm, in compliance with forest regulations.