New Delhi:
With tensions riding high in Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the Mullaperiyar Dam, the Supreme Court is set to hear the issue today.
A five judge constitution Bench headed by Justice DK Jain will hear three applications from the two states. This bench, already hearing the dispute, had constituted an Empowered Committee to examine the safety of the dam and Kerala's request for constructing a new dam in lieu of Mullaperiyar.
The issues before the apex court now are:
- Tamil Nadu's petition seeking direction to Centre for deploying Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the dam site. The state says that only paramilitary force can avoid any vandalism and damage to the dam.
- Another petition from Tamil Nadu wants the Court to restrain Kerala government and politicians in the state from spreading panic about the safety of the dam considering the issue is pending before the apex court.
- Kerala has petitioned the apex court for reducing the water level from 136 feet to 120 feet so that tremors don't cause damage to the disputed dam.
Meanwhile, two members of the Supreme Court appointed panel will also visit the dam this month to examine the safety issues.
The Mullaperiyer dam, located in Kerala's Iduki district, has been a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu and Kerala for years now. The dam caters to farmers in Tamil Nadu, which also controls it per an odd agreement that dates back several decades.
Kerala wants the dam to be razed and reconstructed. Kerala has been arguing that the 116-year-old dam is in danger of collapse. Concerns in Kerala stem from questions about the dam's ability to withstand high magnitude earthquakes and the possible impact of such natural disasters on the lives of over three million people in the state's Idukki, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts. However, Tamil Nadu believes Kerala is manufacturing fear among the public as part of a conspiracy to curtail Tamil Nadu's share of the water.