Mullaperiyar: Kerala minister to meet PM next week

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Kerala Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Union Cabinet ministers next week to press Kerala's demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar in place of the 116-year-old structure.

"As far as Kerala is concerned, the safety of the people living in the downstream areas is a matter serious concern," Radhakrishnan told reporters here on Sunday.

"There is no need for Tamil Nadu to reject the proposal for building a new dam as it will not involve violation of the inter-state treaty regarding the Mullaperiyar dam,” he said.

He would also meet Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony, P Chidambaram and P K Bansal to take up Kerala's case, Radhakrishnan said. Kerala has never had any intention to curtail water from the dam to Tamil Nadu, he said.

Scientists to study tremor impact

Meawhile, a team of scientists from the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) would visit the dam site to study the impact of mild tremors that occurred in the area in recently, he added.

The area had recorded as many as 21 mild quakes since January this year with Kerala citing it as a threat to the dam and insisting on building a new reservoir to replace the existing one which it contends is weak.

However, holding a contradictory view, Tamil Nadu has opposed construction of a new dam, asserting that the present reservoir ‘is as safe and good as new’ and accused Kerala of whipping up fear psychosis.