CHENNAI: Taking strong exception to the Kerala Government setting up a committee to study the possible ecological impact of the raising of the water level in the Mullaperiyar dam, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said on Tuesday that it had set a "wrong precedent."

Answering a set of questions, he said Kerala had gone ahead with the step without the consent of Tamil Nadu, the Centre or the Supreme Court. The head of the committee had stated that there would be adverse ecological impact if the water level was raised, he said. But an environmental assessment committee set up by the Centre had already given its recommendations to the Supreme Court. Based on this, the Supreme Court had ruled that there would be no adverse impact if the level was raised. Under the circumstances, the act of the Kerala government amounted to contempt of court, he said.

Answering another question, he said that news had reached him that a committee of water engineers from Kerala had inspected a site between the Mullaperiyar dam and Vallakadavu to set up a dam. A proposal also had been drawn up, he said. Newspapers had reported that the Chief Engineer of the Kerala Water Authority had stated that a spot had been selected 1,300 ft from Mullaperiyar and that the cost of building the dam would be about Rs.216 crore. The Centre should examine if these were true and take steps keeping in mind that Tamil Nadu was a State that belonged to the Indian Union.

On the Cauvery award, he said that if the notification was issued now, Tamil Nadu would have no chance to represent its shortcomings in the award to the Tribunal.

On the creation of Special Economic Zones, he said the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam concurred with the views of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

It was also the DMK's view that the SEZ should be set up in wastelands. There was about 15 crore acres of wasteland in the country.

The attempt to attack Union Ministers T.R. Baalu and later P. Chidambaram in Parliament could not merely be described as uncultured behaviour.

If this continued, it would lead to beastly behaviour, he said.

Kerala denies charge

PTI reports:

The Kerala Government on Tuesday said its decision to send a team of experts to the Mullaperiyar dam was but part of an exercise to collect data to file a written statement in the Supreme Court in the case.

"This is part of a series of studies being conducted by the State. It is well within the state's discretion to conduct such studies," State Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran said.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail