Kerala not to allow raising Mullaperiyar water level: Minister

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 9 (UNI) Kerala Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran today said the government would never allow to raise the water level above 136 ft in the Mullaperiyar dam.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said this was not a disrespect to the Supreme Court verdict but the security of the dam and the safety of the people in the downstream.

Alleging that Tamil Nadu's move was against the law, the Minister said the move to raise the water level from 136 ft would not be allowed at 'any cost.' Though Kerala had agreed to release water from the Neyyar dam, Tamil Nadu was not prepared for a compromise on the Muallaperiyar issue, he said and claimed that the decision would help in getting a favourable result for the state at the Central-level talks on the Mullaperiyar issue.

Mr Premachandran alleged that a deliberate attempt was on from certain quarters to spoil the atmosphere for talks between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar issue.

They were also 'misleading' Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on the issue, he added.

Terming the recent letter to Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan by his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi that Kerala had ''suddenly and unexpectedly'' disconnected power supply to Mullaperiyar dam site as ''contrary to facts,'' he said Mr Achuthanandan in his reply had asked Mr Karunanidhi to verify the facts to ascertain the truth.

Power supply was disconnected on the direction of forest authorities after some wild animals died due to electrocution at the dam site in 1999. After talks between the two states, it was decided to restore electricity by laying underground cables along the forest road in 2000, he pointed out.

Based on the talks, the Kerala State Electricity Board prepared a detailed estimate and the same was approved by the Tamil Nadu government. They also remitted the estimate amount of Rs Rs 91 lakh in October 2005 to KSEB, he added.

Tenders were invited and the lowest bidder quoted 49.8 per cent above the estimate amount and the Tamil Nadu government was yet to deposit the additional amount, he said adding that the KSEB had also sought the permission of forest authorities to lay the cables.

UNI CGV ROY SP ND1756