Talks will not resolve the Mullaperiyar Dam issue: Ramadoss

Madurai, Oct 6 (UNI) Talks with Kerala will not lead to the resolution of the Mullaperiyar Dam issue but only help protract the stalemate, PMK Founder-Leader S Ramadoss said today.

He demanded the Karunanidhi Government should take immediate steps to revert the storage level in the reservoir as per the order of the Supreme Court.

Addressing mediapersons here, he said the PMK wanted the government to immediately issue a GO to give effect to the apex court ruling, permitting hiking of storage initially to 142 ft and after strengthening the dam, revert to 152 ft.

The GO, in his opinion, would empower the Tamil Nadu PWD personnel to take the necessary steps.

Regretting the inordinate delay in executing the court order passed in February this year, he said while the Jayalalithaa Government could not be absolved of the blame, the present dispensation, too, could not take any credit.

Demanding devolution of more powers to the local bodies, he called for setting up a Finance Commission to make available financial resources for the Panchayat Raj Institutions.

Making light of the Dravidian slogan of 'State Autonomy', saying it had lost steam since in the last 50 years as only the reverse, concentration of more powers at the Centre, had occurred.

As such, he sought an amendment to the Constitution to provide for a third list of subjects for the Panchayat Raj Institutions.

Claiming the DMK-led DPA had bright prospects in the local body elections, he said the DMK would emerge victorious in the bypoll to the Madurai Central Assembly constituency. Past history also favoured the DMK, he added.

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