Chennai:
A day after Kerala Assembly unanimously passed a resolution insisting that a new dam be built to replace the Mullaperiyar reservoir, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has gone all out to assure the people of Kerala that the 116-year-old structure is safe. In full-page advertisements released in major newspapers today, she has appealed that they "should not to succumb to divisive forces."
Kerala has so far been arguing that the dam is in danger of collapse, particularly because several tremors have been felt in the last six months in the area where it's located. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, believes Kerala is manufacturing fear among the public as part of a conspiracy to curtail its share of the water.
"The Mullaperiyar dam is safe. It is designed to absorb and moderate flood upto 400000 cusecs," states the appeal in the advertisement. "Human settlement in the area is much above the reach of the flood waters of Mullaperiyar. Only illegal resorts by land grabbers will get submerged when storage is raised. Some cite this as reason for the plea against dam," it further adds.
The appeal ends with the declaration - "We are both committed to maintaining and cherishing cordial relations."
The advertisement has also come a day after Jayalalithaa's political archrival, DMK chief M Karunanidhi, expressed his dissatisfaction with her government over its handling of the issue and announced a hunger strike and a mammoth human chain next week to protest against Kerala's demand.
DMK called an emergency meeting of its executive council and passed a resolution blaming "narrow political considerations" by some persons in Kerala for "tension in the border" and expressed fear it would affect cordial relations between people of the two states.
It also asked Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to convene an all-party meeting so as to present a picture of unity on the decades-old issue over the dam, located in Kerala but controlled by Tamil Nadu under a 999-year-long lease.
Both warring sides have sought the Supreme Court's intervention on the issue. Kerala has asked that the level of water in the dam be brought down to 120 feet (currently it is 136 feet). Tamil Nadu has approached the top court with two separate petitions - one asks the court to order Kerala to stop spreading misinformation about the safety of the dam. The other asks the court to instruct the Centre to provide special security at the dam site.
In 2006 the Supreme Court ordered Kerala to raise storage to 142 feet after the Central Water Commission found the dam strong and safe. But Kerala defied it by passing a law. Now an empowered committee appointed by the Supreme Court will assess the dam's strength and report to the highest court.