Mullaperiyar row: Kerala ministers to meet PM

Nov 29, 2011 |

Thiruvananthapuram

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State and union ministers from Kerala will meet the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Tuesday seeking his urgent intervention to enable the construction of a new dam in Mullaperiyar.

A delegation led by the water resources minister Mr P.J. Joseph set the stage for the crucial interaction by meeting the union defence minister Mr. A.K Antony and the union water resources minister Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal on Monday.

The ministers also met legal luminaries including Mr Harish Salve who reportedly advised that the state should pass a resolution in the Assembly requesting Parliament to enact a law to set up a new dam if there was imminent threat of the 100-year-old structure collapsing.

The MPs from Kerala, Mr. P.T. Thomas (Idukki), Mr. Anto Antony (Pathanamthitta) and Mr. Jose K. Mani (Kottayam) also conducted a hunger strike in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament seeking the Centre's intervention.

Back home, the finance minister Mr K.M. Mani said that Kerala had the right to initiate action to build a dam on its soil without waiting for a nod from other states.

The ruling United Democratic Front and the opposition Left Democratic Front also joined hands to conduct a protest hartal in Idukki.

Protesters blocked roads linking Kerala and Tamil Nadu at Kumily and other entry points, though no violence was reported from anywhere.

Sabarimala pilgrims were not obstructed. Meanwhile, the water level in the dam rose to 136.4 feet following heavy rainfall on Sunday. However, there were no rains on Monday and the water level is likely to come down.

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