‘Strange, Kerala Min unaware of his officer’s letter’

Reading out the letter the principal chief conservator of forest of Kerala had written to the deputy director of Project Tiger, Periyar Tiger Reserve on November 5 allowing the felling of the 15 trees, the minister said the following day on November 6, the deputy director of Project Tiger, Periyar Tiger Reserve had written to the executive engineer of Periyar Dam special division in Cumbum, intimating him of the permission granted by the PCCF and chief wildlife warden of Kerala for felling 15 trees in the said land.

“The letter had the stamp of approval of the Kerala government. The November 5 order of the PCCF and chief wildlife warden had even listed out the 15 trees to be felled. Hence, we informed our Chief Minister with good intention. Our CM wrote a letter thanking them (Kerala),” he clarified, defending TN CM’s letter thanking Kerala for permitting the felling of 15 trees to strengthen the Baby Dam.

Can my CE write to another state without my knowledge, Minister asks

Asked about the Kerala Forest Minister’s claim that he was unaware of the letter, Duraimurugam said, “Now, the Kerala Forest Minister says he is unaware of the letter. I am the state’s Irrigation Minister. Can my chief engineer write a letter without my knowledge on an inter-state dispute to another state? In my political experience, a head of department cannot write a letter to another state without the knowledge of the minister. It is an issue between the Minister and officials of the state. I do not want to intervene in it. Our CM thanked them with good intention. But some people here are trying to politicize everything without understanding this.”

Justifying the opening of the Mullaiperiyar Dam on October 29 “in accordance with the Supreme Court direction”, Duraimurugan said that they would store water up to 142ft in Mullaiperiyar Dam on November 30 as per the court order.

Duraimurugan referred to the critique of the Opposition parties and said, “The Supreme Court has ordered the maintaining of the water level in accordance with the Rule Curve. It is a recent court order. Some old (read as conservative) people might not know it. Hence, they complain that we had invited Kerala officials to release water. They (Kerala minister and officials) had casually visited the dam. Water was released as per law (by TN irrigation officials).”