The long-running tussle between Tamil Nadu and Kerala over the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam hit a new low with the Kerala government revoking its order permitting Tamil Nadu to cut 15 trees.
The sanction was apparently given to strengthen the baby dam in Mullaperiyar as per Tamil Nadu's request but it had to be revoked after it stirred controversy in Kerala where there is huge concern over the safety of the dam. The two states had been at loggerheads over the Mullaperiyar dam for the last two decades as Kerala wants the water level to be reduced to 138 feet on security grounds while Tamil Nadu wants the water level to be raised to 152 feet.
The issue erupted into a controversy after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin sent a letter to his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday thanking him for the permission to cut trees near the baby dam in Mullaperiyar reservoir. The Kerala government quickly revoked the order and state forest minister A.K. Saseendran said that the permission was granted by mistake and that action will be taken against officials concerned. “I have no idea who gave the order. It never came up for discussion. Officials who were behind such a move will have to be answerable,” said the minister.
The fact that the order came soon after Tamil Nadu minister Dorai Murugan’s statement that the state will raise the water level to 152 feet after strengthening the baby dam gave more ammunition to the fireworks. As the issue became controversial, Kerala water resources minister Roshy Augustine also said he was not aware of the permission.
The opposition was quick to respond and sought explanations from the government. “How can the officials decide on their own? The higher ups in the government certainly knew about the order,” said KPCC president K. Sudhakaran. “The government is searching for scapegoats now,'' he added.
Idukki district, where Mullaperiyar is situated, has around 20 small and big dams. There is a fear in Kerala that a chain reaction in case of a disaster will affect 3.5 million people living downstream. Tamil Nadu, however, argues that the dam is safe and that the state carries out regular maintenance every year. While Kerala insists on a new dam, Tamil Nadu has been opposing it fearing it may lose control over the dam which is the lifeline of five southern districts.
The chief ministers of both states will meet next month to resolve the tussle. It was amid this that the tree felling controversy erupted. How it will affect bonhomie between the two states and the two leaders who share a good personal rapport is to be seen.
