Thiruvananthapuram, February 18: The Kerala government today welcomed the Supreme Court order to form a high-level empowered committee to examine safety aspects of Mullaperiyar dam, over which it is locked in a dispute with Tamil Nadu.
Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan and Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran said the state’s prime concern was the dam’s safety and the 40 lakh people living in five districts downstream of the more than 100-year-old reservoir.
“If anything happens to the dam, lakhs of people will perish and Kerala wants to avoid such a situation. At the same time, Kerala wishes to provide much needed water to Tamil Nadu by constructing a new dam in place of the old one,” Achuthanandan told reporters here.
Claiming that the apex court’s decision was “in favour” of Kerala, he said the state government would nominate its member to the committee after ascertaining Tamil Nadu’s position.
–Agencies