The Mullaperiyar Agitation Council, which spearheads the agitation for a new dam, on Monday, termed the Supreme Court order giving permission to Tamil Nadu to carry out maintenance on the dam as ‘a temporary solution.’
Council chairman Fr. Joy Nirappel said here that the final judgement would allay the fears of the people living downstream.
Maintenance would not help in the long-run, considering the age of the structure.
The dam was constructed at a time when technology was not advanced. The engineers who constructed would not have envisaged such a long spell, he said. How would advanced technology be used on a structurally weak dam to make it stronger, he said.
If a new dam was built, the people of Tamil Nadu could draw water and the people of Kerala could live without fear. There needed to be a logical response to the threats faced by those living downstream, Fr. Nirappel said.
The council would go ahead with its relay hunger strike at Karimkulam Chappathu, he added.
