All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said the “so-called danger” to the Mullaperiyar Dam was a “deliberately created bogey without any base” and called upon the people of Kerala and the State government there to see reason.
In a statement here, she said engineering experts had already inspected the structure and, if necessary, in order to reassure themselves, another inspection by experts from either side, under Central and Supreme Court supervision, could be conducted.
“But I appeal to the Kerala State government: please do not let unsubstantiated fears be the basis for a decision that could turn five districts of Tamil Nadu into a desert, rendering millions of people homeless,” she added.
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Pointing out that Tamil Nadu and Kerala had been excellent neighbours all these decades with cultural and social bonds, she said the languages of both States were close, having similar words. “Millions of Tamil-speaking people live in Kerala. Likewise, millions of Malayalees live in Tamil Nadu. Let us not strain this long saga of bonhomie because of short-sightedness. This is my sincere request to the people and government of Kerala,” she said.
She also rejected the Kerala government's argument that the dam built by the British Army Engineering Corps, of concrete in Surkhi mortar (brick powder in lime) with thick masonry, had outlived its utility
“This claim is a baseless generalisation not backed by any authentic study by experts. In fact, a classic example I can point out to disprove this claim is the famous Kal Anai or Grand Anaicut, a marvel of stone-mud-lime mortar dating back to the 2{+n}{+d} Century AD, widely believed to be the oldest dam in the world. Built by Karikala Cholan, it predates the Mullaperiyar dam by a good 17 centuries and is still in excellent condition, being the envy of the modern world,” she said.
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Ms. Jayalalithaa said concerns about the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam had been perpetuated in order to create a public outcry for closing down the dam. This, she said, would abrogate the 999 years lease agreement between Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the existing arrangement of water-sharing between the two States. She said if a new dam was constructed the old dam would cease to be functional, turning into barren land the five fertile districts of Tamil Nadu, now contributing substantially to the nation's food security.