CM Stalin condemns Kerala's plan to construct new dam at Mullaperiyar, cites Supreme Court violation

CHENNAI: Condemning the Kerala government for taking steps to construct a new dam across Mullaperiyar dam, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin sends a letter to Union Minister of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, saying it violates the Supreme Court's order. 

Writing to Yadav on the Expert Appraisal Committee's (EAC) proposal to take up a study for constructing a new dam at Mullaperiyar strongly conveyed his objection to the current act of Kerala’s Irrigation Design & Research Board (IDRB) taking up the EIA study for a new dam as well as the EAC considering the request for permission to take up the above study.

In the letter, he said, "The above proposal for constructing a new dam by the State of Kerala, purportedly in lieu of the existing Mullai Periyar Dam, is against the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The existing dam has been repeatedly found to be safe in all aspects by various expert committees and has been ruled so by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its judgements dated 27.02.2006 and 07.05.2014."

He mentioned the attempts made by the Kerala government in 2018 to get approval for the ToR for the EIA study for the proposal for a new dam and how the issue was taken up by Tamil Nadu at the Supreme Court, and it was clearly ruled that any such step would require the Court’s permission.

"We intend to take strong legal action, including contempt petitions, if the earlier orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court are not adhered to by the various stakeholders in this issue," he stated.