The Hindu : Kerala News : Achuthanandan defends Navy's dam inspection

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Friday, Nov 24, 2006
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Achuthanandan defends Navy's dam inspection

Special Correspondent

Kerala drops plan to assess strength of Mullaperiyar dam by Naval team

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan on Thursday reacted sharply to his Tamil Nadu counterpart M. Karunanidhi's threat to pull out of the talks between the two States on the contentious issue of Mullaperiyar dam.

"This is not the way to settle this serious issue," he told The Hindu when contacted on the phone.

(Meanwhile, Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran said here that the State had withdrawn the exercise of assessing the strength of the dam by a team of the Indian Navy following the intervention of the Union Government.) Mr. Achuthanandan asked how Mr. Karunanidhi could term Kerala's request to the Navy to send its experts to study the present condition of the 110-year-old dam `a provocative act.'

"There is nothing provocative in it. The Kerala Government has the duty to ensure the safety of the people of the State. Does he not want all the facts on the table when we sit down for discussion?" Mr. Achuthanandan asked.

He said Mr. Karunanidhi should remember that Tamil Nadu was but a `lessee' of Kerala at Mullaperiyar. The owner had the right to examine whether the structure built in the leased land was safe. "How can Tamil Nadu so adamantly insist that Kerala should put the lives of its people to risk? This is injustice of the first order," he said.

The Chief Minister said Kerala had never said it would not give water to Tamil Nadu. "For more than 100 years, they have been taking all our waters. We receive not a single drop of water from Mullaperiyar. Tamil Nadu should be grateful to Kerala instead of talking tough. Mr. Karunanidhi's posture can never be justified," he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that if Tamil Nadu really wanted to pull out of the talks scheduled for November 29 in New Delhi, it was fine with Kerala. Mr. Premachandran said that Kerala had decided to rope in the services of the navy team to study the strength of the dam after informing the Tamil Nadu Government through the Teni District Collector. And the Tamil Nadu Government did not oppose the move then. But on Thursday, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister termed it a provocative move.

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