The Hindu : Front Page : `MGR had promised to fortify dam'

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Wednesday, Dec 27, 2006
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`MGR had promised to fortify dam'

Special Correspondent

Central panel had asked to maintain water level at 136 feet: Achuthanandan

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister the late M.G. Ramachandran (MGR) had assured the former Prime Minister the late Charan Singh to strengthen the Mullaperiyar dam and retain the water level at 136 feet, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said.

Mr. Achuthanandan told reporters here on Tuesday that MGR had made the commitments in a letter to Charan Singh on November 28, 1979. The former Janata Dal Legislature Party leader K. Chandrasekharan had taken up the Mullaperiyar issue with the then Prime Minister. Charan Singh then wrote a letter to MGR on November 11, 1979, stating that a Central Water Commission team had studied the problem and sent proposals to the Tamil Nadu Government to strengthen the dam by earth-backing. MGR said in his reply that "the Chairman, Central Water Commission inspected the dam on November 23. After his discussions with the officers of the Governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, certain proposals had been made for the immediate strengthening of the dam, for the provision of additional spilling capacity and for keeping the reservoir level at +136 ft. I may assure you that the Government of Tamil Nadu are taking expeditious action on these."

Mr. Achuthanandan said the Central Water Commission had said in 1979 that the water level should be maintained at 136 feet. The Government would produce the letter as evidence in the Supreme Court if needed. Tamil Nadu was using the water for power generation and farming. If the area irrigated by the water from Mullaperiyar was 1.75 lakh sq.ft. in '79-80, it went up to 2.25 lakh sq.ft. in 95-96 and 2.50 lakh sq.ft. in 2005-06. This was the main reason for the tough stance of Tamil Nadu. While the bilateral talks were progressing amicably, the AIADMK and MDMK had raised a banner of protest against the Tamil Nadu Government. By deciding to take the issue again to the Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was trying to quell the protest of the Opposition, Mr. Achuthanandan said.

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