Kerala Finance Minister K.M. Mani has earmarked Rs. 50 crore in the 2012-13 budget for construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar.
Presenting the budget in the State Assembly on Monday, Mr. Mani said that the new dam would be constructed 1,300 metres downstream from the existing dam.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it may be recalled, have been engaged in a protracted court battle.
Keywords: Mullaperiyar dam, Kerala-Tamil Nadu relations, Kerala Assembly, Kerala budget, water rights, river sharing
Kerala has all the right to construct whatever it's citizens wish in its own land. This is a
sovereign right of the citizens of the state. Neither TNs permission nor moral lectures are
needed. period.
It is unheard anywhere that a dam is consrtucted to protect the people living near the original dam. Can the original dam be re-enforced if there is a threat? Can a second stronger and bigger dam be constructed to replace the weak original dam? Kerala and Tamil Nadu are not reconciling their differences. The political parties in both states are inflaming protests scaring people. The Central government is powerless to intervene. Both states ignore the engineering aspect of Mullaperiyar dam and refuse an arbitration. The state of affairs or the affairs of the states in relation to this dam are not much different from the multitude of border check posts between states which are unknown in most countries. Even the border check posts between countries are disappearing in Europe. The dam has damaged the relations between Kerala and Tamilnadu and splits the people of common heritage. Only the local political parties and politicians are the winners in the name of safety of the damned dam.
I really can't understand the Kerela Finance Minister's motive behind this. Why is this politicians often inflaming volatile issues like this.
This is excellent news. LDF and BJP had protested against and criticized the govt a lot on this issue. The dust settled as soon as it went off the front page of the newspapers. Good that K.M.Mani still fights for the dam, that has become a necessity, even when its not a hot political topic in Kerala right now.
This is obviously an eyewash..Everyone knows that no dam can be
constructed without a compromise is made between two states.
More than all the arguments, if Govt of Tamil nadu had spent such money
for making a new dam in past, this issues could have been avoided. Politicians across all borders are fooling people.
Mani is a shrewd politician. One can imagine how much of precious wild life is going to be lost and how much of biodiversity is going to be converted into liquid cash with this a half kilometer downstream dream project. Every time Mani gets a ministry, he and his trained KC people does something very unique, that goes beyond the imaginations of every reporter or opponent.
I actually can't understand what exactly kerala wants. They said a dam
in the present mullai periyar region is causing earth quake and so has
to remove dam.
Later they come up with a joint venture for a new dam in the same
location.
Now they are creating a new dam just below tat...
These 3 does not make sense on what kerala demands. So are they trying
to just make a fuss and waste people's money and use this as a chance?
Mr. Nandakumar, if you can specify the areas then it would be helpful to the government.
congress is now on the way to spoil itself in Kerala also, taking up only the problematic issues,even though there are lots of other areas of scope for development and improvement. Project focused on politics well away from current requirement and current mentality of peoples.
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