Chennai, mar 3 : Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan today urged his Kerala counterpart Roshy Augustine to allow the State to take up maintenance works in the Mullai Periyar Dam in line with the orders of the Supreme Court. In a letter to the Kerala Water Resources Minister , he said Mullai Periyar Dam is vital for the farmers of Tamil Nadu living in five drought prone districts of Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Sivagangai and Ramanathapuram, to meet drinking and irrigation and for their livelihood. Stating that the farmers of these Districts are very sensitive to the availability of water from the Dam, the Tamil Nadu government was taking utmost care in maintaining the Mullai Periyar Dam well considering the safety and security of the people of both the States. He said the Kerala Water Resources Department and the Forest Department are delaying permission to convey the materials and machinery to the dam site for carrying out routine maintenance works and repair works, which have to be done as per the guidelines of the Central Water Commission (CWC) and in compliance with the Supreme Court orders of February 27, 2006 and May 7, 2014. Duraimurugan urged Roshy to use his good office to revoke the Order of Kerala Government dated November 11, 2021 at the earliest and restore the permission issued for felling of 15 trees, since felling of these trees is essential for carrying out the balance strengthening works as per the Order of the Supreme Court. “You may recall that your Government has persistently requested to install Seismograph and Accelerograph in the dam site, which was also recommended by the CWC. We have taken action based on the above recommendation to install them through National Geo-physical Research Institute, Hyderabad and the instruments are ready to be installed”, he said. “However, my officers have informed that Forest Department of Kerala is not permitting to convey materials for erecting necessary platform/ pillars for installing the seismograph”, Duraimurugan said and sought the Kerala Minister’s personal intervention on the issue and instruct the officers concerned to allow materials to be conveyed through forest road, Vallakkadavu dam site and to repair the existing forest road and to cut the 15 trees, which is pending for a long period. GV 1810
