A day after the Supreme Court asked both Kerala and Tamil Nadu to cool tempers, major political parties of Kerala, including the Congress and the Left parties, on Wednesday announced that they were calling off their respective agitations over the Mullaperiyar dam issue. Representatives of the parties said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured them he would do his best to find an amicable solution to the issue over which political parties and organisations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been pitted against each other in recent weeks.
Dr. Manmohan Singh, who met an all-party delegation from Kerala at Parliament House, stressed on the need to create a conducive atmosphere in both States. He wanted politicians and others to restrain themselves as the Supreme Court was already seized of the matter, and not to do anything that might aggravate the situation. The delegation was led by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and the former Chief Minister, V.S. Achuthanandan.
Mr. Chandy later told journalists here that he was appealing to the people to call off their agitations. He said the delegation had promised all cooperation to the Centre to settle the issue peacefully.
“After the meeting with the Prime Minister, the leaders discussed Dr. Singh's request in detail and decided to appeal to all the political parties and all the organisations to create a cordial atmosphere,” Mr. Chandy said.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Ramesh Chennithala, who was a part of the delegation, said the Congress would call off its agitation.
“Considering the request by the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, the Congress has decided to stop the agitation to create a conducive atmosphere to amicably settle the issue,” Mr. Chennithala said.
Mr. Chandy said the all-party delegation urged Dr. Singh to initiate a dialogue between Kerala and Tamil Nadu to find a solution at the earliest in view of the “current sense” of anxiety and fear among Keralites.
The delegation presented a memorandum to the Prime Minister. It said no responsible government or party could afford to remain a silent spectator when people were living in constant fear of death and destruction in view of the safety of the dam.
They alleged that there have been more than 26 tremors in the area around the dam in Idukki district since July this year, with the highest recorded magnitude being 3.8.
Tamil Nadu MPs' protest
Meanwhile, a group of Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu, led by TNCC president K. Gnanadesikan and Dindigul MP N.S.V. Chithan, staged a demonstration near the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex seeking deployment of the personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force in the Mullaperiyar dam area.
They also wanted the Centre to advise Kerala to allow an increase in the water level in the reservoir to 142 feet from the present 136 feet.
I dont know what these guys opposing the new dam are thinking. You know that the lifespan of the dam is twice over. Will you be ready to live under the dam in this condition. I know that there are lot of people who are playing nasty politics in between. But can you for one moment think that the govt. of kerala already offered TN the water they are giving now? By Gods grace we receive enough rain water and we are ready to share the water with you. we dont have hatred towards you. Only thing we need to say to this that you are being fooled by cheap politics. These people want to make this issue since they want to divert your attention from kudamkulam project and suppress it. Better understand that. Do you think people of Kerala allows you to take a drop water from Mullapperiyar after a collapse of the dam and lose of thousands of life? We can sit and talk together to get enough water for you till the new dam is being built. Isnt that logical? Think wisely
Polititians never allow to resolve the issue. In 1979 both the states agreed to cnstruct a new Dam, the political will over turned it. In modern society one cannot be stopped travelling from one state to another. There number of Keralites settled in Tamil Nadu as well as there are number of Tamalians settled in Kerala. If Polititians are not involved, Administration of both the states would have resolved the issue. People from both the states should join together and stone the polititians and resolve the issue.
Excellent point Mr Krishnakumar. You have hit the nail on the head.
The strength of a structure should be decided by experts with reference to the modern technics and trends. The politicians and others are not capable of taking any decision in this regard. If anybody decides in such matters simply looking the structures, the researches in the matter of construction will not serve any purpose and the methods of construction being found out in the research everyday are to be dumped in the bin. The engineers can work under the politicians but not the engineering technics.
Nothing wrong in the dam.Then why people are being so much anxious about the mullai periyar dam.My humble question is whether anyone can assure that the new dam can be constructed in a strong manner?Whether it would be strong?Dont play with tamil nadu farmers life.If this hatred continues then it will create adverse effects in various economic activities carried on by both the states.Please dont play cheap politics in both tamilians and Malayalees residing in kerala and tamil nadu.Showing hatred vigourously especially in the kerala borders against tamils by threatening thousands of tamil workers in tea estates should be stopped immediately.And for the kind information here no one is genius about the matter except supreme court.So accept the court decision which would be the apt decision at the movement.
Political parties decision to call off their agitations are good to some extent. But the real problem lies here is that the political parties failed to communicate this matter to common people in a right manner. This has created lot of confusion among the common people. Actually strikes carry out in a peaceful manner is a good method in order to achieve our goal. Political parties have responsibility to common people, so it is their prime duty to convince the people about the main reason why they decided to call off the strikes which have been going on for several days. Why Government is not passing the 'Dam Safety Bill'? As far as all rivers and dams in India are concerned, Central Government should introduce a Central Legislation to this effect. All old dams can be decommissioned by this legislation. Since this is a dispute between two states, only Central Government can only resolve this grave issue. So Centre should intervene in this critical situation.
@KrishnaKumar: What If your suppositions are wrong and the dam collapses on some grounds?Who will be responsible for the thousands of lives? Even if the the probability of collapse is 1%,it is always better to construct a new dam taking into account that human lives are always more valuable than anything else.
Anyway we can't ensure that the dam will stand for 1000 years.So the construction of a new dam in future is inevitable.At present,Why cant we construct a new dam ensuring the addressing needs of TN to its maximum? Or,should we keep "Mullaperiyar issue" as an instrument in hands of politicians to change public focus at times of their need?
As per USGS about 1,430,000 tremors of magnitude less than 4 occur worldwide annually. That is approximately 3920 tremors per day. These cause no damage at all. Generally earthquakes of higher magnitude trigger landslides in the mountainous regions as the epicentre is very deep. The argument that increase of water level in the Mullaiperiyar dam is causing tremors is not tenable. The load 11TMC (Thousand Million Cubic Feet) of water spread over an area of 8000 acres of land cannot cause any seismic activity at all. If this is the case, Idukki dam located just 58 km down stream , which has capacity of 70 TMC, will cause much more seismic activity. Kerala is not able to swallow the bitter fact that the dam is constructed exclusively for serving the districts which now form the part of Tamil Nadu. In fact there are no human habitations along the 58 km down stream course of the river between leading to Idukki dam. Mullaiperiyar dam is very much safe and will not collapse.
A welcome move, and its time for the Tamilnadu politicians to act mature and follow what the Kerala Politicians have decided, "call off the stirs". Because such sensitive issues can never be solved in the streets, but across a table with series of discussions.Atleast some sense has been attained after the supreme courts advice.The Politicians of both the states should first stop playing with the sentiments of people.Supreme court has asked the TN govt to maintain 136 feet and it should be strictly followed, arguments like 26 tremors in three months doesn't make sense, because its just misleading, for the simple reason that small level magnitude earthquakes hit everywhere and at all times, round the year. Its the big ones that are recorded. If you start calculating the small tremors Chennai would have had more than 100 in a single year, only difference is, we would not have felt it.No one has the right to mislead or play
with the sentiments of common man. GROW UP INDIAN POLITICIANS.
there is a saying,"water would find its level".The rains would determine the levels in the mulla Dam.If it fails the level would go down even below 120.Humans,especially the political leaders could only be mute spectators when this happens.The people should offer prayers to gods in both states to protect them as the gods wish. The politicians would sure to take into their hands,the next problem in a day or two.How many issues the have taken and left in the lurch for the past one month.Except giving leaders a sense of satisfaction that the support from the their own party men is continuing,no other tangible gain they have got.
It is heartening to note that the Kerala political parties have decided to tone down the agitation after Supreme Court direction. Inter State water disputes are assuming unfortunately an ugly twists and turns due to politicisation than the real concern over the issues. The Centre should do all that it can to resolve it at the earliest before uncontraollable damage done to the cordial atmosphere prevailing between States.
It is good if both states take a step back in agitations.However, the damage to the relationship is already done.A dam burst any time in future would put TN in a big disadavantage nationally and internationally. It was better for TN to agree to a new dam binding Kerala with regular water supply to TN. Also, the legality a thousand year old lease in British era can be quashed by Supreme court in future, again disadvantaging TN.
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