Mullaperiyar: Kerala wants independent committee; SC to consider case today

NEW DELHI: When the Supreme Court considers the Mullaperiyar matter today, Kerala will demand that an independent committee consisting of international experts be formed under the leadership of the supervisory committee and conduct a safety inspection of the dam. The committee must conduct a flawless safety inspection within one year. Remedial proposals should be prepared. The terms of reference for the inspection should be communicated to Kerala. The presence of Kerala and Tamilnadu states should be ensured. All procedures should be videotaped. Kerala will also request that the results of the inspection and study should be forwarded to the state. These matters have been raised in the reply submitted by the Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department.

Central Water Commission Deputy Director Vivek Kumar Soni has submitted a status report stating that the supervisory committee will visit the dam on March 27 and will hold a meeting on March 28. When the committee visited Mullaperiyar on May 9, the condition of the dam was satisfactory. According to the report, the two states have been directed to reach a consensus on cutting the nearby trees and strengthening the baby dam.