SC: Centre should initiate Mullaperiyar dam talks

Dec 16, 2011 |

New Delhi

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The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Tamil Nadu Government plea for deploying Central force personnel at Mullaperiyar considering Kerala’s undertaking to protect the dam from all possible acts of “vandalism”.

The bench took on record the Centre’s submission that Central forces could be deployed only if requested by Kerala Government. Later, the Union Water Resources Ministry informed both Kerala and TN that Friday’s talks between officials of both States to resolve the Mullaperiyar dispute were cancelled owing to TN objections.

A five-member Constitution bench, headed by Justice D K Jain, however, observed that the Centre could take the lead in resolving the dispute but stopped short of appealing to the Prime Minister for his intervention in the row.

TN had objected to the PM’s intervention on the grounds that the apex court-appointed Empowered Committee's report was awaited.

The court also rejected a public interest litigation filed by villagers for decommissioning the dam. It asked them to approach the Kerala representative on the Empowered Committee.

Kerala submitted a fresh application to the Empowered Committee seeking an urgent report to the SC for directions to TN to peg the water level at 120ft. The application claimed this would not harm TN interests as the total available water after lowering the level was estimated above the total average requirement of the State (during the season).

Kerala urged the Empowered Committee Chairman, Justice AS Anand, and four other members to visit the dam site and meet the affected people than send the two technical experts, which was “inadvisable” in the given circumstances.

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