THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Centre’s decision to drop Kerala’s representative from a five-member committee formed to inspect the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam has not gone down well with the state government, which suspects a conspiracy behind the move.
In a recent communication, the Union government informed the state about the exclusion of T K Sivarajan, Kerala’s representative in the Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation Committee (CDSEC), 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.
The timing of the move and the conscious sidelining of the government have forced the state to suspect conspiracy. Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph said the Centre’s action was unacceptable and the removal violated every legal and ethical norm.
“When the five-member committee was constituted, its structure provided for one representative each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Now, Kerala’s representative has been mysteriously dropped while Tamil Nadu’s has been retained. There is some foul play at work,” he told the TNIE.
Mons maintained that the decision to drop Kerala’s representative should have been taken after consultation with the state government.
Kerala can’t accept decision, says minister
“Instead, they unilaterally took the decision to drop him and informed the state later. The expert who replaced him is a native of Uttar Pradesh. We cannot expect him to safeguard our interests,” Mons said.
Soon after receiving the letter, the water resources secretary took up the matter with his counterpart in the Jal Shakti Ministry. Mons said he will send a formal representation to the ministry on Tuesday.
“Kerala cannot accept this decision. Sivarajan should be reinstated. If they want a replacement for a convincing reason, it should be a person nominated by the Kerala government. There is no compromise on this. The Kerala government will go to any extent to protect our people’s interests,” Mons said.
The CDSEC was formed under the Dam Safety Act, 2021, on the directive of the Supreme Court. Its mandate is to conduct safety evaluation of the 125-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, a masonry gravity structure in Idukki.
