CUMBUM: In what can be described as a major victory for TN Chief Minister J Jayalalihtaa, the Kerala Government has relented from its stand of not allowing Tamil Nadu officials to plug the holes drilled in the Mullaiperiyar dam during the inspection conducted for testing its stability.
Tamil Nadu officials are geared up to start work on Tuesday and have mobilised eight workers for the job, besides organising plastic tanks to hold 10,000 litres of water and cementing materials, after Kerala Chief Engineer of Irrigation department, B Letika, asked the Kerala officials to permit Tamil Nadu officials to plug the drill holes.
Earlier on Monday, when a team of TN officials led by Rajesh, Executive Engineer, Periyar Dam Special Division, reached the dam in a boat, Kerala officials and police did not allow them in. They asked the Kerala officials to convey their objection in writing and state the name of officer who was objecting to it.
A heated exchange followed and Kerala officials contacted their Government for advice following which Letika gave the nod. Kerala officials also requested the TN officials to provide all information about the work undertaken.
This development comes in the wake of TN Chief Minister writing a letter to the PM demanding immediate intervention by the Union Government to facilitate the work and demanding deployment of CISF at the site. In the letter, she warned that if the Kerala government persisted with its “recalcitrant” attitude and the CISF personnel were not deployed, TN police would be stationed to guard the dam.
The drilling was done when various teams inspected the dam to ascertain its stability on the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee.