In a breather to Tamil Nadu, which has been vehemently opposing the construction of a dam in the Attapadi valley across the Siruvani river, the Centre has decided to keep in abeyance the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee to grant Standard Terms of Reference for the Kerala government's project.
At a recent meeting, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change took the decision to keep in abeyance the recommendations till the references filed in Supreme Court against the Order of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal are settled or get a positive consent for the project from the government of Tamil Nadu.
The Centre’s communication about the decision to the Tamil Nadu government, was released to the media by the State government on Tuesday.
The Centre’s decision followed the “continuous efforts” taken by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa in this regard. She had been raising this issue with the Centre ever since reports over the proposal to construct a dam across the Siruvani by Kerala appeared in the media in 2012, the release said.
It recalled that several letters were sent by the Chief Minister to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard, and pointed to the passing of a special resolution in the State Legislative Assembly opposing the construction of a dam across the Siruvani.
