New Delhi, Dec 2 (IANS) With the deadlock persisting over the Mullaperiyar dam issue, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Friday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to drum up support for a new dam, which is being opposed by Tamil Nadu.
Chandy met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention in resolving the dam issue which has become a point of friction with Tamil Nadu.
He also met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi in a bid to seek her support for a new dam.
In his meetings with both Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, Chandy conveyed that he was not against giving water to Tamil Nadu, but at the same time argued that a new dam was needed as the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam was frequently hit by tremors.
In an interview to a TV channel, he underlined that the safety of Kerala people was his overriding concern.
‘The continuous earthquakes (the Mullaperiyar dam is subject to) – that is the main concern which is bothering Kerala,’ Chandy told Times Now in an interview here.
‘Our concern is about the safety of the people and we are never against giving water to Tamil Nadu,’ Chandy stressed.
‘Our approach is very clear. We have to take care of people’s safety. We are ready for open discussion.’
Tamil Nadu wants the dam’s storage capacity to be increased by raising the dam height – from 136 feet (41.5 m) to 142 feet (43 m) to meet growing irrigation needs in the state.
Kerala, on the other hand, wants a new dam as it fears that a strong earthquake might damage the existing dam.
Early this week, the MPs from Tamil and Kerala met Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention to resolve the complex issue. Manmohan Singh had assured a delegation of Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu that a meeting of the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala would be arranged soon to discuss the contentious issue.
