Fuelling the controversy over the Mullaperiyar dam, former Supreme Court Judge and Kerala’s representative in the Empowered Committee on Mullaperiyar K.T. Thomas has named prominent State politicians who, he claimed, had privately agreed with his view that the dam was ‘perfectly safe’.
In an article in an independent ecumenical magazine, Mr. Thomas said former Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph rang him up as soon as the empowered committee’s conclusion that the dam was safe was aired. He claimed the Minister was all praise for him and his stance on the issue.
Later, the then Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Ramesh Chennithala, and the then Electricity Minister, Aryadan Mohammed, called up Mr. Thomas and lauded him for the report.
According to Mr. Thomas, former Minister N.K. Premachandran had also called on him on several occasions to discuss the Mullaperiyar issue. “When I pointed out that the expert opinion was that the dam was safe, Mr. Premachandran’s response was that he too knew that, but ‘what we want is to cancel the agreement of 1886 so that the management and maintenance of the dam will be with the State,’” according to Mr. Thomas.
“To my question whether the State will be benefited by undertaking such a huge responsibility, Mr. Premachandran said the State would get 50 per cent of the electricity generated from the dam,’’ the article says, adding that Tamil Nadu’s lawyers who appeared before the empowered committee had said that Tamil Nadu was willing to share half the power generated from the dam.
Chandy’s stance
Mr. Thomas said the then Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, who called on him at his residence in Kottayam, had expressed his helplessness.
He claimed Mr. Chandy to have told him: “Kerala demanding half the energy generated from the Mullaperiyar dam will be treated as the State accepting the Tamil Nadu’s claim that the dam is safe. It will even endanger our Ministry.’’
Though the government had assigned eminent lawyers, spending a hefty Rs.7.60 crore, to present the State’s case before the apex court, the 11 judges who heard their arguments were not convinced by Kerala’s arguments.
The Supreme Court judgment categorically stated that the reinforcement works carried out in three stages since 1979 have further strengthened the Mullaperiyar dam, he said.
