[1]Policy makers of Kerala are apprehensive that the Mullaperiyar dam row with Tamil Nadu may get more fractious now that the AIADMK leader, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, has come to power.
“She is likely be more aggressive when compared to the M. Karunanidhi government on the water level issue,” said a senior state official, who has been dealing with matters relating to the dispute for the last six years.
Ms Jayalalitha, for instance, had in the last five years sharply attacked the Karunanidhi regime for not raising the water level in the dam from 136 feet to 142 feet.
Kerala argues that the 110-year-old lime-and-surki dam at its border with TN is unsafe while the neighbouring state wants to raise the water level to help farmers of nearby districts.
In the last five years, Kerala had successfully shifted the national focus to the safety aspects of the dam and also gained Central clearance for a survey to build a new dam in the area.
At present, the dispute is before the empowered committee of the Supreme Court which is examining the safety aspects.
The outgoing water resources minister, Mr N.K. Premachandran, who has actively pursued the issue, told Deccan Chronicle that the state had presented a well-built-up case before the panel and had presented evidence of seepage and leakage that could not be ignored.
Mr Premachandran has been unfazed by reports that his defeat in Chavara was celebrated by political workers in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
“Kerala has a good case and all depends on what the new government will do,” said the official.
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