Mullaperiyar Dam row: SC asks supervisory panel to resolve issues raised by TN
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the newly-constituted panel overseeing the safety of Mullaperiyar Dam to examine the issues of repair and maintenance raised by the Tamil Nadu government and file a report.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the chairman of the committee, reconstituted on January 3 by the Centre, would convene a meeting of officials from the warring states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in a week and try to settle the issues raised by Tamil Nadu amicably.
The bench said if the issues, including the clearance for felling trees, repair of the dam, construction of approach road, etc., were not settled amicably, the Supreme Court would adjudicate it.
“It seems to us that a new supervisory committee along with its chairman has been appointed on January 3, 2025. It must look into the prayers made by Tamil Nadu and find out the solutions preferably to be accepted by both sides. However, in the event of any dispute regarding any of the disputes the committee is directed to submit a report in this court to adjudicate the left out issues,” the bench said.
The top court, which asked for the report to be filed within four weeks, said some of the issues were “very childish” and could be resolved amicably between the two states.
A “certain hype” was created about Kerala’s devastation if anything happened to the dam, the court added.