CHENNAI: Strongly condemning the Central government for deciding to go ahead with the Dam Safety Bill, 2018 for which the Union Cabinet has given its approval, MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Saturday said Tamil Nadu would be the most affected State by the legislation and called upon political parties and activists to oppose the move firmly.
In a statement here, he said already the Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had charged the Centre with not revealing the details about the draft of the Dam Safety Bill.
Tracing the origins of the Bill, he said the Supreme Court on February 26, 2006, had ruled that Tamil Nadu could raise the storage level in Mullaiperiyar dam to 142 feet and later to 152 feet and that the Kerala government should not oppose this. Following this, Kerala government enacted a legislation bringing all dams in the State under its control (Mullaiperiyar is under Tamil Nadu’s control). Later, the SC censured Kerala for this legislation.
Only in this background, officials prepared the Dam Safety Bill and the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa opposed this tooth and nail, Vaiko said, and recalled that he too met the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard and requested him not to proceed with the legislation. Now, after many years, the NDA government had brought this Bill to light.”If the Bill is passed, this will ensure that all the neighbouring States act unfairly against Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Kill Bill
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had charged the Centre with not revealing the details about the draft of the Dam
Safety Bill