Kerala advocate-general K.T. Dandapani told the high court on Friday that there was no correlation between the storage level and the safety of Muyllaperiyar dam, knocking the bottom out of Kerala’s argument that higher storage imperiled the safety of the 116-year-old reservoir.
Mr Dandapani, who also said it was partly hype, especially by the media, that created panic, later regretted and issued a denial towards the evening. But that was too late. Politicians of all hues bayed for his blood, including impeachment.
He rebutted the allegation that he had earlier appeared for the TN government, clarifying that his wife, Ms Sony, had accepted a TN brief but nothing further.
The controversial remarks came even as more MLAs joined in the mass fast at ground zero at Vallakadavu and AIADMK MPs protested with the Centre against Kerala’s “unscientific stance on the dam breach”.
An embarrassed chief minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, who is in Delhi to meet Prime Minister Manmhoan Singh, said that once back home he will examine the context of the AG’s stance and take action, if needed.
Mr Dandapani’s submissions came as the court considered petitions seeking its intervention in Mullaperiyar.
He said people panicked because of the hype, especially by the media.
But, the bench comprising acting Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice P.R. Ramachandra Menon pointed out that the media had merely done its duty in alerting the public.
Even if the dam collapsed, the gushing water could be contained by Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kulamavu dams.
This was because its safety depended not on the water level but its age and recurrent tremors, Mr Dandapani said.