The Tamil Nadu government pitched strongly before the Supreme Court to order deployment of a “neutral central force” to guard the Mullaperiyar dam, accusing the Kerala police of being a “silent spectator” to entry of unauthorised persons to the dam site.
Tamil Nadu pooh-poohed Kerala’s version in the apex court expressing doubts about an Intelligence Bureau report placed on record by the former, claiming that the dam was a terror target. It said the deployment of a central force like the CISF/CRPF was “absolutely essential” to protect the dam considering the threat perceptions.
“The need for CISF is not only on account of the Intelligence Bureau report but also to the recent activity and inaction of the police in restricting the entry of various persons, with local police being a silent spectator...” Tamil Nadu said in a recent rejoinder affidavit.
Kerala in an earlier affidavit had questioned the “reliability” of the report on the dam. Though it had reservations about the report, it had gone ahead and set up a separate police station to provide round-the-clock security to the dam and the Periyar water-spread.
Tamil Nadu had relied on a September 2014 ‘Industrial Security Inspection Report’, which did not give any specific inputs of terror threats to vital installations, but advised caution against Pakistan-sponsored pan-Islamist terror outfits, “remnant cadres of LTTE” and Naxals.
Further, Tamil Nadu objected to Kerala’s version that there was a public perception in the latter State that the dam structure was weak. “This statement of Kerala is totally misconceived and has been made in utter disregard to the judgment of the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on May 7, 2014, wherein, based on the report of the Empowered Committee, this court recorded a finding that the dam is hydrologically, structurally and seismically safe,” Tamil Nadu countered and accused Kerala of taking an “obstructionist attitude” to its exclusive right of day-to-day management of the dam.
It said Kerala had prevented Tamil Nadu government officials from collecting rainfall data at Mullaikodi rain gauge station. It said Kerala was also not providing the daily rainfall data from the catchment areas which was required for planning the operation of the dam.
“Any impediment on the free access to the leased area by the Kerala officials would not only be against the Lease Deed of 1886 and Supplemental Agreement of 1970, but would also be in direct conflict with 2006 and 2014 judgments of the Supreme Court,” Tamil Nadu said.
