TN’s stand on Mullaperiyar issue unfortunate, says CM


 Friday, December 09, 2011: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said it was unfortunate that Tamil Nadu had not taken into due account the anxieties and fears of Kerala arising out of the existing dam, even in the backdrop of frequent tremors in the area.
CM was speaking at special one-day session of the Assembly on the Mullaperiyar Dam issue began here on Friday, seeking to formalise the political consensus in the state on the demand for a new dam in place of the 116-year-old structure.
He said Kerala had made it amply clear its neighbour would continue to get the same level of water even after a new dam is built and the state was keen to resolve the issue without in any way compromising its good relations with Tamil Nadu.
The house is expected to adopt a unanimous resolution after a three-hour discussion seeking a new dam and lowering the water level in the reservoir to 120 feet from 136 feet as an immediate safety measure.
The issue has come to fore in the past two weeks with Kerala raising the pitch for the new dam citing safety concerns about the existing structure, which Tamil Nadu, however, feels is as good as a new one.
Kerala has been witnessing a series of protests by various political parties and social groups for a new dam in the wake of recent tremors in the region and rising water level in the dam, located in Kerala’s Idduki district but maintained by Tamil Nadu under a 999 year lease.

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