The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Meet on Parambikulam-Aliyar project likely: Durai Murugan

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Tamil Nadu

Meet on Parambikulam-Aliyar project likely: Durai Murugan

Special Correspondent

Chief Secretaries are in correspondence to fix a suitable date for this purpose

CHENNAI: A meeting of the Chief Secretaries of Tamil Nadu and Kerala is shortly to complete the review of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project agreement, according to Public Works Minister Durai Murugan.

Initiating the debate on the demand for grants to his department, the Minister told the Assembly on Thursday that the Chief Secretaries were in correspondence to fix a suitable date for this purpose.

Earlier, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had conveyed to his Kerala counterpart V.S. Achuthanandan to resume bilateral talks for completion of the review of the Parambikulam Aliyar Project agreement.

Tracing the genesis of the PAP agreement, he stated that Tamil Nadu and Kerala entered into the agreement on May 29, 1970 with retrospective effect from November 9, 1958 for utilisation of flows of the rivers Anamalayar, Nirar, Sholayar, Parambikulam, Aliyar and its tributary Palar (which has nothing to do with the other Palar river, running through Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) besides streams flowing into them for generation of hydro-electric power, irrigation, drinking water supply and industrial use in the two States.

The PAP agreement was due for review in November 1988. Subsequently, several rounds of discussions took place. As a sequel to the Minister-level meeting at Chennai in June 2002, a technical committee comprising engineers from the two States prepared a report to identify the areas that required amendments in the agreement. Differences between the two States had been narrowed down. “However, the review could not be completed,” Mr Durai Murugan said.

On the Palar issue, he said the Central Water Commission Chairman held an official-level meeting at New Delhi on March 11 which was attended by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. After deliberations, it was decided that Andhra Pradesh would not go ahead with its project of building a reservoir across the river before the issue was settled.

The two States had been asked to provide certain technical information by April-end so that another meeting could be called around the middle of May.

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