THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener Vaikom Viswan has disputed the Janata Dal (Secular) charge that the decision to supply water to Tamil Nadu from the Neyyar was taken without any discussion in the LDF.

Briefing mediapersons after a meeting of the LDF State committee here on Sunday, Mr. Viswan said the LDF had indeed been told that water from the Neyyar would have to be supplied to Tamil Nadu.

Janata Dal(S) leader K. Krishnan Kutty's position may be that there was no detailed discussion on the subject in the LDF. However, the fact of the matter was that the UDF Government had already taken the decision to supply water to Tamil Nadu from the Neyyar.

"Its decision was to do so unconditionally. The LDF, on the contrary, decided to make any such supply conditional. It has done so only to show that it has nothing against the people of Tamil Nadu and that its stand on the Mullapperiyar dam issue is born out of its fears about the safety of people living downstream," the LDF convener said.

Mr. Viswan said the LDF panel discussed at length the activities proposed to be undertaken by the Water Resources, Power and SC/ST and Backward Classes Development departments during the coming one year and resolved to do its best to avert trifurcation of the Kerala State Electricity Board as required under the new Central Electricity Regulatory Act.

Under the Act, the KSEB should be split into three companies. The previous Governments had deferred a decision on the subject by seeking grace time repeatedly. But that same could not be done now. He said no proposal for revision of water tariff figured in the discussions of the LDF committee on Sunday. The committee, he said, decided to give priority to completion of projects that were dragging on for years now and secure funds from all `favourable sources'.

Steps would be taken to complete electrification of all SC/ST colonies in a year. On its part, the SC/ST/ Backward Classes Development Department would try to improve the educational opportunities for SC/STs.

Help for Adivasis

It would see how the Plus-Two marks secured by ST students could be factored into the eligibility criteria for admission to professional courses. Steps would also be taken to provide free treatment for the major ailments of Adivasis and distribute land to the landless among them in a time-bound manner.

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