The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to respond to an application made by Tamil Nadu seeking CISF protection to the Mullaperiyar dam.
A bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice A.K. Sikri ordered the Centre to file its reply on Tamil Nadu’s plea in four weeks.
Now, Kerala takes care of the dam’s security, for which Tamil Nadu pays and the latter is responsible for the dam’s maintenance.
The bench further refused to entertain a separate application by Kerala for clarification of the May 5, 2014 Supreme Court judgment on raising the water storage level of the dam to 142 feet.
Kerala has contended that the water storage should not be increased to 142 feet until all the 13 spillover gates of the dam are operational. It said that only 12 functional at the time of the judgment
Kerala has further sought that water level should be raised above 136 feet only after exhausting storage into Vaigai.
It further sought a full operational plan to be drawn up before increasing water level in the dam.
However, later in the day, the Supreme Court allowed Kerala to withdraw its application when senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan said the State would agitate its demands before the three-member Mullaperiyar committee.
