Mullaperiyar issue to be solved through mutual talks: CM

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 28 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V S Achutanandan today said the Mullaperiyar Dam issue should be resolved through mutual talks between the state and Tamil Nadu rather than sensationalising it.

The Supreme Court had even asked the two states to explore the possibility of an amicable solution to the dispute over raising the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam from 136 to 142 ft, he told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

''It is a matter of water for Tamil Nadu but for us it concerns the lives of the people'', he said while reacting to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's letter to him on the issue.

Tamil Nadu had dragged the issue to the court when it was a fact that the issue was to be solved through arbitration only, he said and added that the neighbouring state had raised the issue even after the Center Water Commission had directed that the dam height should not be increased. The commission had also proposed to construct a new dam.

Mr Karunanidhi had written a letter to the Kerala Government asking to give up its adamant attitude and come forward for a justified solution on the issue.

The state of Tamil Nadu wants to raise the height of the dam to raise the water level from 136 ft to 142 ft. Kerala is opposed to raising the height considering the safety of the dam.

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