The Hindu : National : Kerala floats another proposal on dam

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Wednesday, Nov 29, 2006
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Kerala floats another proposal on dam

On the eve of talks on Mullaperiyar

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the crucial talks on the vexed Mullaperiyar dam issue, the Kerala Government on Tuesday proposed construction of an alternative dam near the existing reservoir as a ``feasible solution''.

The State would place this proposal during the talks between Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M. Karunanidhi here on Wednesday. The meeting has been convened by Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz.

"Constructing an alternate dam is the only feasible solution. The Central Water Commission had favoured this as a permanent measure for a long-term solution long back in 1979,'' Kerala Water Resources Minister N.K. Premchandran told PTI.

He said Kerala has been ``doing whatever possible'' to find a solution to the issue and "contrary to popular perception, it is not scarcity of water but abundance that is creating the problem."

"Tamil Nadu wants us to hold more water at the risk of people's lives in Kerala," Premachandran, who is accompanying Chief Minister Achuthanandan, for the talks, said.

"Dialogue only way"

"`Dialogue is the only way to resolve differences as this issue has been unnecessarily politicised," he added.

The States had been at loggerheads over raising of the water level in the dam. While Kerala is against raising the level above 136 feet on safety grounds, Tamil Nadu wants it to be raised to 142 feet and the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Tamil Nadu.

PTI

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