Steps will be taken to raise the height of the Mullaperiyar dam, initially to 142 feet, once a three-member supervisory committee is constituted in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said here on Monday.
In a recent judgment, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court allowed Tamil Nadu to raise the height of the dam from 136 to 142 feet and declared unconstitutional the law passed by Kerala in 2006 to constitute a dam safety authority to prevent the water level from being raised.
“Based on the strong arguments put forth by the State, the Supreme Court has upheld the rights of Tamil Nadu through a historic judgment,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said at a function held to mark the inauguration of development projects at Srirangam.
As per the court directive, a three-member committee has to be formed, with representatives from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Central Water Commission (CWC), to supervise the raising of the height. Tamil Nadu and Kerala nominated their representatives. The Union Cabinet, too, decided to nominate a CWC representative, she said.
The Chief Minister said she upheld the rights of the State in the Cauvery issue too. “The final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was gazetted after my legal battle in the Supreme Court,” she said. Efforts were being made to ensure that the Cauvery Water Management Board was constituted to oversee the implementation of the award.
On her fifth visit to her constituency, and the first after the Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Minister thanked the electorate of Tamil Nadu for giving the AIADMK a massive victory. “I sought your votes by projecting the achievements of my government. The Opposition indulged in mudslinging and false propaganda. But you have appreciated my work and made the Opposition bite the dust,” Ms. Jayalalithaa said, vowing to continue the fight for the rights of Tamil Nadu.
