Kerala not to enter into new treaty with TN on Neyyar

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 14(UNI) Reiterating that Kerala government would never enter into any new agreement with the Tamil Nadu government for releasing water from Neyyar river, state Irrigation Minister N K Premachandran made it clear that the government was ready to provide water for irrigation to Vilavancode taluk in Kanyakumari district.

Talking to reporters here, he said the statements made by Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister Duraimurugan in Tamil Nadu Assembly on the subject ''unfortunate and contradicted the truth''.

Kerala was ready to provide water abiding by the existing conditions, he added.

Referring to Tamil Nadu's claim that Neyyar was an inter-state river and the Kerala government should reach a new agreement with them on the lines of Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP), he charged that it was ''meaningless''.

He charged that the Tamil Nadu government's aim was to establish its right on Neyyar river, instead of getting water from it.

Claiming that Tamil Nadu government had never claimed that the Neyyar was an inter-state river even during the time of the reorganisation of states in 1956 or thereafter, the Irrigation Minister pointed out that even Mr Duraimurugan had himself agreed in a letter to the state in 2000 that Neyyar was not an inter-state river.

Mr Thalavaisundram, a Minister in the AIADMK government, in his letter to the state government in 2001 had also confirmed that Neyyar was not an inter-state river, he added.

Mr Premachandran said that the state government had favourably considered the request from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi that necessary steps should be taken to release water from Neyyar dam.

UNI CGV VV AK SV ND1550