The Central Government’s Expert Appraisal Committee for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects recommending grant of Standard Terms of Reference for Kerala’s Attapady Valley Irrigation Project on the ground that Tamil Nadu had not responded to letters is not a valid ground, the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) has said in a release issued here on Monday.
The party’s State Youth Wing Secretary V. Eswaran said that when the Additional Secretary for water resources had sent the letter to the Tamil Nadu Government in May this year, Assembly elections were under way.
When the letter reached the Tamil Nadu Government, a caretaker government was in place. Plus it was an issue that government alone could not decide as it called for consultation with farmers, environmentalists and factoring in various issues. Plus, there was no time limit imposed on the Tamil Nadu Government to reply to the letter. Mr. Eswaran further said that if the Kerala Government were to go ahead with the Attapady Valley Irrigation Project by constructing dam across River Siruvani, it would affect not only Siruvani but also the Coimbatore Corporation’s Pilloor drinking water schemes.
It would also affect the flow in River Bhavani as the Kerala Government had proposed to tap 4.5 tmc.
