Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has urged the leaders of national political parties to visit Mullaperiyar Dam and the district of Idukki and other down stream areas “to make an on the spot assessment of the serious situation prevailing there due to the frequent earthquakes in the area and the fear of the breakage of the century old Dam.”
Talking to media persons here on Sunday he said that “unless the national political parties take a stand for the construction of a new Dam, Kerala’s demand for it will be difficult to materialize.”
He said that by filing an affidavit in the Kerala High Court with the contention that Idukki Dam “could contain the waters of Mullaperiyar if the old dam breaks was a great betrayal of the stand Kerala had taken all these years that if the old dam breaks it will be disastrous for 30 to 40 lakh people living in the four down stream districts.”
The recent affidavit filed by the Advocate General in High Court was the reversal of the stand taken by the previous government on Mullaperiyar while demanding a new Dam there.
He said that “since the State government did not take any action against the A.G it is presumed as the stand of the UDF government.”
He said that in the all-party meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on Tuesday the Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) will “make it clear that it did not agree with the affidavit filed by Kerala government in the High Court that Idukki can contain the waters of Mullaperiyar.”
Mr. Achuthanandan said that “when the Dam breaks what will flow down is not only water but the huge quantity of mud, houses, buildings, trees and even human lives. This cannot be contained by Idukki dam or by any other structure.”
He said that when the all-party delegation goes to meet the Prime Minister this question of Kerala government’s affidavit will come up because Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is making it as her main campaign against Kerala’s demand for a new Dam. Thus the UDF government has defeated the State’s strong case by filing an affidavit in the High Court. Naturally there will be questions asked why Kerala needed a new Dam when Idukki dam can contain the waters of Mullaperiyar in case of a disaster,” Mr. Achuthanandan said.
He said that the water level of Mullaperiyar should be brought down to 120 feet immediately as the people down stream are living in constant fear of a catastrophe.
Mr. Achuthanandan has demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) about the allegations of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that large number of people from Kerala bought land in Tamil Nadu and there is large scale encroachment in the catchment areas of Mullaperiyar to construct resorts and other buildings.
