NHRC to refer Mullaperiyar issue to full commission

Wednesday, November 30, 2011: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today decided to refer the Mullaperiyar Dam issue to its full commission following a representation by Kerala MPs.
A senior NHRC official said Kerala MPs met the Commission this morning to raise the issue and request its intervention. Following the meeting, the official said, the Commission decided to refer the case to its full commission. Earlier, a single member was hearing the case.
The Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala’s Idukki district has been a sparring point for the state with Tamil Nadu for quite some time now. While Tamil Nadu wants to increase the water-level in the reservoir, Kerala has been insisting that it be reduced from the current 136 feet to 120 feet.
Kerala is willing to construct a new dam for supplying water to Tamil Nadu, which is opposing the move concerned over losing control over the functionality of the dam.
Various groups in Kerala had been arguing that the dam cannot withstand higher magnitude earthquakes and posed a threat to lives and properties of over three million people in Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts of the state.