The Supreme Court of India expressed shock and disappointment at the Indian government's failure to implement the Dam Safety Act, enacted in 2021. The court highlighted the lack of progress in constituting a national committee for dam safety and formulating regulations despite the law's provisions. The case pertains to the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam, a 130-year-old structure in Kerala, which is controlled by Tamil Nadu. The court has ordered the government to take immediate action and seek assistance from the Attorney General in this matter.
The Tamil Nadu government has told the Supreme Court that "repeated assertion" by Kerala to seek decommissioning of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar dam is "wholly impermissible" as the dam has been found to be hydrologically, structurally and seismically safe.
The flame over the age-old Mullaperiyar dam row has once again reached Parliament's doorsteps. None of the two conflicting parties -- namely governments in Tamil Nadu and Kerala -- seem to be in a mood to back off, and the controversy is set to become an additional headache for the already cornered UPA government at the Centre. Rediif.com tries to explain the different contours of the issue.
The flame over the age-old Mullaperiyar dam row has once again reached Parliament's doorsteps. None of the two conflicting parties -- namely governments in Tamil Nadu and Kerala -- seem to be in a mood to back off, and the controversy is set to become an additional headache for the already cornered UPA government at the Centre. Rediif.com tries to explain the different contours of the issue.
The pleas raising issues about the dam, which was built in 1895 on the Periyar river in Idukki district of Kerala, came up for hearing before a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar.
The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday said the repair work on the controversial Mullaperiyar dam has resumed after it took up with Kerala the issue of its officials allegedly preventing movement of cement bags meant for the purpose.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Kerala government on Tamil Nadu's plea that the security of Mullaperiyar Dam should be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force.
The Supreme Court on Friday sought response from the Kerala government on Tamil Nadu's plea that the security of Mullaperiyar Dam should be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday charged the Kerala government with carrying out a "mischievous propaganda" on the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam only to create panic and whip up emotions of its people to draw political mileage.
Expressing regret over the Supreme Court's order to refer the Mullaperiyar dam dispute with Kerala to a Constitution bench, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday voiced apprehensions that the adage 'justice delayed is justice denied' might come true.
The parapet wall was found damaged on Monday.
Water level in the Mullaperiyar dam is threatening to cross the permissible limit of 142 feet, leading to fears about the safety of the people living downstream from it in Kerala even as six spillway shutters were opened on Monday night to release excess water.
Kerala should have decommissioned the Mullaperiyar dam long back. Question of any mechanism to replace the benefits that the dam may be providing are important no doubt, but only be secondary, notes Himanshu Khullar.
Supreme Court-appointed Empowered Committee on the controversial Mullaperiyar Dam, over which Tamil Nadu and Kerala are at loggerheads, today finalised its much-awaited report on various aspects of the structure and will submit it to the court on Wednesday.
In a setback to the Kerala government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down a law promulgated by it declaring Mullaperiyar dam as endangered, and restrained it from obstructing the Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order deployment of Central Industrial Security Forces at Mullaperiyar dam site "to avoid any man-made catastrophic consequences" in view of violent activities reported there.
A one-day special assembly session convened in the midst of the heightened tensions between the two states on the dam issue passed the resolution reasserting the state's right over the 116-year old dam which Kerala wants to be demolished to build a new one on safety concernsA resolution moved by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said that 'Tamil Nadu cannot lose its rights over false propaganda by Kerala' on the safety of the century-old reservoir.
Stepping up pressure for the early resolution of Mullaperiyar Dam row with Tamil Nadu, Kerala Water Resources Minister P J Joseph on Saturday warned that the Centre will be held responsible if the 116-year-old structure collapses.
An all party delegation from Kerala on Friday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought his intervention to resolve the issue of Mullaperiyar dam between the state and Tamil Nadu. Senior Congress Member of Parliament P C Chacko said the prime minister advised the two sides not to take up any campaign to create differences and tension between the two states. "The prime minister advised us that such a campaign should not be taken up," Chacko said.
In the wake of the Supreme Court rejecting Kerala's contention in the dispute with Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar dam, the state on Monday sought Centre's mediation and a presidential reference to the apex court to address its anxiety over the issue.
The Supreme Court-appointed Empowered Committee on the Mullaperiyar Dam, over which Tamil Nadu and Kerala are at loggerheads, has concluded that the 119-year-old structure is "safe" and asked the Kerala Government to reconsider its proposal to build a new dam.
Member of the Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee on Mullaperiyar Dam, Justice K T Thomas on Thursday said it was unfortunate that some quarters had sought to politicise and whip up emotions on the panel's report, instead of looking at it rationally.
The dam is located on the Western Ghats near Thekkady in Idukki district of Kerala on the Periyar river.
The Centre on Wednesday appealed to Tamil Nadu and Kerala to amicably settle the issue of Mullaperiyar Dam between them and expressed its willingness to play a role of "facilitator".
A five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Friday declined to accept any fresh material other than what has been submitted by the expert panel on the controversial Mullaperiyar Dam row between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Mullaperiyar dam as good as new, Jaya writes to Chandy
Urging for "sanity and sensitiveness", the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Tamil Nadu and Kerala to maintain restraint on their statements on the Mullaperiyar dam row, lamenting that they were adding fuel to the fire instead of dousing it.
Taking strong exception to Kerala's reported "unilateral" action in ordering real time monitoring of Mullaperiyar Dam along with the Centre without Tamil Nadu's consent, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday slammed it as a "blatant violation" of the principle of federalism and constitutional framework.
Setting aside rivalries, ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front and opposition Left Democratic Front in Kerala stepped up the demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar as water flow into the reservoir in Idukki almost touched the maximum permissible storage level of 136 feet on Sunday due to heavy rain in the area.
The Kerala government on Monday announced it will go ahead with the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "intervene strongly" in the dispute and make Tamil Nadu initiate "practical steps" on the issue.
Shashi Tharoor was just back from Delhi after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with all the other members of Parliament from Kerala, on the Mullaperiyar dam issue. Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier caught him in Thiruvananthapuram for an exclusive interview.
Stepping up their campaign on the Mullaperiyar issue, Union Ministers from Kerala on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his intervention in ensuring the saftey of the 116-year-old dam. Union Ministers Vayalar Ravi, K V Thomas, K C Venugopal,Mullapally Ramachandran and E Ahamed met Dr Singh with a demand to rein in Tamil Nadu's insistence on increasing the water level in the reservoir for enhancing water supply to the state.
Tamil Nadu will not permit the Kerala government to construct a dam across the Mullaperiyar dam, Chief Minister M Karunandhi said on Wednesday.
In this interview with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, Prof Janakarajan speaks about the win-win situation for both Tamil Nadu and Kerala while strongly maintaining that a new dam will be an environmental disaster.
Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, revenue minister in the United Democratic Front cabinet in Kerala, has been in the midst of the Mullaperiyar dam row. Radhakrishnan was serving as the irrigation minister when he met and negotiated with O Paneerselvam, the representative of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. In an interview with rediff.com's Shobha Warrier, minutes after holding an emergency meeting in Thiruvavananthapuram, Radhakrishnan talks about the escalating feud.
In an application filed in the apex court, the Kerala government has also sought a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to control the water level by releasing water from the dam throughout the day instead of releasing a huge quantity of water at the wee hours without giving sufficient warning time.
Voicing Kerala's readiness to walk the extra mile to resolve the Mullaperiyar Dam row, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said he was even willing to enter into a tripartite agreement and enact a law assuring Tamil Nadu that it will get "same quantity" of water from the new dam.
If an earthquake causes the dam to collapse, it can threaten the lives of 3.5 million people downstream. The issue needs to be looked at as a national problem, not as a dispute between two states, says Dipu Santh
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has questioned the Centre for "entertaining" Kerala's request for approving environment study to construct a new dam at Mullaperiyar in her state, saying it was in contravention to the Supreme Court order.
The labourers, who are said to be of Nepali origin, were engaged in the construction of a hotel.
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