The Minister for Water Resources P.J. Joseph has said that “Kerala always took a liberal stand in sharing its water with Tamil Nadu and wanted Tamil Nadu to reciprocate it.”
Inaugurating the Siruvani Project House at Siruvani on Saturday the Minister said that “even after the construction of the new Dam at Mullaperiyar Kerala will continue its liberal policy in sharing its water with Tamil Nadu.”
He said that the new Siruvani Project House having 5500 sq. feet building area was constructed for the officials of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to hold meetings and stay for taking up the maintenance, inspection and control of the Siruvani Dam that supply water to Coimbatore city of Tamil Nadu.
The project house has a VIP suit, three rooms, conference hall, drawing room, dining hall and kitchen.
The meeting was presided over by N. Samsudheen, M.L.A.
The history of Siruvani Dam is that the Chief Ministers of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Minister for Water met in a conference on May 10, 1969 a Thiruvanathapuram and reached an agreement for the construction of Siruvani Dam and diversion of water for supply of drinking water to Coimbatore Municipal town.
Based on the agreement for the construction of the Dam and other amenities, an area of 370 hectors of land were leased out by the Government of Kerala to Tamil Nadu government for which the Tamil Nadu government are regularly paying the lease to the Kerala government.
