SC rejects TN plea to block Periyar dam survey

The Supreme Court on Wednesday summarily rejected the last ditch attempt by Tamil Nadu government to put roadblocks on a central survey to determine the health of the 138-year-old Mullaperiyar dam across Periyar river on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, saying said the Karunanidhi government was being overcautious.

Locked in lengthy litigation over the proposal to raise the dam's height from 138 metres to 142 metres, the Tamil Nadu government had objected to the survey of the dam by the centre as proposed by the Kerala government.

The latest round in the decades-long differences between the two states over the issue has been triggered by the permission given by union minister for environment Jairam Ramesh to Kerala to conduct a survey for constructing a new dam in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Kerala has for long been demanding the dismantling of the old dam for safety reasons. But Tamil Nadu has opposed this saying dismantling of the existing dam would lead to denial of waters for its farmers living in three neighbouring districts.

Appearing for Tamil Nadu, senior advocate K Parasaran argued that the Tamil Nadu government apprehended that Kerala intended to present a fait accompli by going ahead with construction of a new dam close to existing Mullaperiyar dam. Contesting a Kerala legislation that keeps the dam height at 138 metres, the Karunanidhi government claimed that the survey was a ploy by Kerala to get a new dam constructed, when it was bound to raise it to 142 feet as per a previous Supreme Court ruling.

Parasaran even questioned the conduct of Kerala government to propose a survey without taking permission of the court, which was seized of the matter.