Assembly proceedings were disrupted on Wednesday over the entry in the National Register of Large Dams (NRLD) that the Mullaperiyar, Thunakadavu, Parambikulam, and Peruvaripallam dams in Kerala were “operated and maintained by the Public Works Department of Tamil Nadu.”
Noisy scenes were witnessed during the fag end of the question hour with Opposition legislators moving to the well of the House and demanding a reply from Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.
Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph’s assurance that the government had written against the footnote and that it would examine the issue did not pacify the Opposition. Speaker G. Karthikeyan’s effort to proceed with the listed business did not succeed.
Around 9.40 a.m., Mr. Chandy said the government would not accept any decision against the interest of Kerala.
“The government is not aware of this. Stern steps will be taken if there is any lapse on the part of officials. If the minutes are placed in the House, we will examine it and give a reply tomorrow,” Mr. Chandy said. After this, the Speaker went ahead with the business.
The issue figured in the House after Mr. Joseph replied to a question put forward by Jameela Pakasham and others. Mr. Joseph said the footnote was included in the register after the 32 meeting of the National Committee of Dam Safety (NCDS) held on December 27, 2013.
Tamil Nadu wanted to add ‘owned’ in the footnote along with ‘operated and maintained.’ The Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Administration, P. Lathika, who is also in-charge of interstate water, represented Kerala at the meeting and “it is understood that she did not oppose it,” he added.
The NCDS has informed the State that it will take a decision on removing the footnote after consulting Tamil Nadu, the Minister said. Following this, Mrs. Prakasham read out the minutes of the NCDS meeting cornering the government.
