New dam across Mullaperiyar: Kerala Min

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 6: Kerala Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran told the state Assembly today that the government was planning to construct a new dam across Mullaperiyar.

In a written reply to Mr C P Muhammad (Cong) and others, he said the new dam would be constructed about 1,300 feet downstream of the old Mullaperiyar reservoir, approved by the engineers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu in 1979.

After obtaining the Detailed Project Report (DPR) pertaining to the new dam, the government would take necessary steps to seek Central assistance in this regard, he said adding that according to the preliminary report Rs 216 crore was required for constructing the new dam.

Though the state had raised the necessity of constructing a new dam across Mullaperiyar in place of the century-old dam during the Chief Minister level talks between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the latter had taken a negative stand on the matter, he said.

Stating that the government had started its preliminary work, the minister said it had asked the Irrigation Design and Research Board (IDRB) to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a project report for the construction of new dam in Mullaperiyar.

After receiving the DPR, the government would take steps to mobilise funds required for the construction of the proposed dam, he added.

UNI