Mullaperiyar dam issue: TN asks EAC to reject Kerala's proposal

Chennai, May 25 (IANS) After conveying objections to the Centre on the Mullaperiyar dam issue, the Tamil Nadu government has asked the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) to reject the Kerala government's proposal for constructing a new dam.

The committee is scheduled to meet on May 28.

A senior official of the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department told IANS that the state was expecting the EAC not to go ahead with the proposal of the Kerala government for constructing a new dam at Mullaperiyar.

He said that Tamil Nadu has presented before the EAC and the Union Environmental Ministry the various Supreme Court rulings regarding the construction of a new dam.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had on Friday sent a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav to instruct the officials concerned and member secretary of the EAC to drop the agenda item on the proposed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed new dam during the EAC meeting.

According to the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department, several expert panels found the existing Mullaperiyar dam to be safe.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister also pointed out that the Supreme Court on February 27, 2006, and May 7, 2014, ruled that the dam was safe.

The Supreme Court had in 2018 ruled that for Kerala to carry out any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed new dam, the state required permission from the apex court.

The Kerala Irrigation Design and Research Board recently decided to finalise the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for constructing a new dam at Mullaperiyar. Kerala in its proposal to the Union Environment Ministry has stated that the design is already complete.

The next step is to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and to obtain permission from the Union Forests and WildLife departments.

The Mullaperiyar dam is located in Kumily panchayat in Idukki district of Kerala and the new site for the dam has been identified at 366 metres downstream from the present structure.