Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, seeking Centre's intervention in the Mullaperiyar dam issue and the crisis faced by rubber farmers.
The two Kerala leaders called on Mr. Modi based on a decision taken at an all-party meeting held on November 26.
The two leaders demanded the Centre's intervention, through a change in import policy, to control the fall in rubber prices.
CWC experts should study dam safety
As for the Mullaperiyar dam issue, they demanded that a panel of experts from the Central Water Commission (CWC) be set up to study the safety of the dam.
The Supreme Court had, in May, allowed Tamil Nadu to increase the water level from 136 feet to 142 feet and said that the dam was safe. Following this, a lot of fear and concern had been raised by people living in and around Idukki district.
Meet Jaitley
Mr. Chandy and Mr. Achuthanandan also met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu. The Chief Minister also discussed Kochi's non-inclusion in the draft civil aviation policy, which plans to develop only six major airports as international travel hubs.
He also asked for a bigger allocation for Kerala in the upcoming railway budget.
Mr. Chandy also made a representation regarding the closure of the Plachimada Coca Cola factory in Palakkad.
The Kerala Assembly had earlier passed a resolution that the factory should pay its workers compensation.
