TN CM seeks Kerala's cooperation to raise level

New Delhi, Nov 29 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today appealed to Kerala to cooperate in implementing the Supreme Court order to raise the water level in the dam to 142 ft from 136 ft.

In his address at the meeting of the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala convened by Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz here, he expressed the hope that the Kerala government would approach the whole issue in a spirit of friendly neighbourliness.

Mr Karunanidhi said subsequent to the Supreme Court order, which permitted the Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level to 142 ft initially and later to the designed Full Reservoir Level of 152 ft after the remaining strengthening works were completed, the Kerala Government had amended the State Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, 2003, in March 2006.

Stating that Tamil Nadu had completed all major strengthening works with the concurrence of the Kerala Government, he said experts had assured that the dam was safe and there was no need for any doubt about safety aspects.

Mr Karunanidhi stressed that raising the water level of the dam to 142 ft initially was absolutely necessary to irrigate the lands in about two lakh acres in the drought-prone districts of Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram.

It was only to avert the frequent famines prevalent in these districts that the Periyar Project was conceived and executed, he said, adding the benefits of the project should not be denied on considerations not supported by any scientific and technical data.

He expressed hope that Kerala would review its stand and arrange to repeal the amendments made in the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act 2003.

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