KOCHI: The Mullaperiyar issue, which has been a mere point of contention between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu for the past two decades, has snowballed into a Machiavellian politicking by the end of 2011. The issue has been under consideration of a Supreme Court-appointed empowered panel. The expert committees under the panel have carried out regular inspections at the dam. The panel is supposed to file its final report before the Supreme Court in January 2012.A series of tremors in the catchment area between July and November has given birth to fresh concerns over the safety of the 116-year-old reservoir. Alarmed by a possible dam break, Kerala intensified its demand for a new dam at Mullaperiyar. What followed was a unique battle together fought by political parties and many other organisations from the state.While the LDF formed a human chain from Mullaperiyar to the Arabian Sea, the UDF Ministers went for day-long fasts at Mullaperiyar and in New Delhi. A couple of MLAs and MPs also went on fast. There were widespread protests across the state.Kerala demanded Centre’s intervention on the issue. Also Chief Minister Oommen Chandy wrote to his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa urging immediate steps to bring down the water level to 120 ft. Jaya, however, rejected the proposal. Finally, the Prime Minister intervened and told Jayalalithaa that nothing should be done to create undue alarm.Jaya criticised Kerala for spreading fear and panic. The issue got a new dimension with tension gripping in border districts over the issue. There were minor fights over the issue; buses were blocked and shops were closed in the border districts. In the latest development, as if yielding to the pressure of Tamil Nadu, the Centre decided not to send a disaster management team to study the situation at Mullaperiyar.
Comments
0 comment