New Delhi: While the Supreme Court had directed an independent study on the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam, the Central Water Commission has submitted a report to the apex court which said that Tamil Nadu would conduct such a study.
This reference was made in the status report submitted by the Commission.
According to the report, Tamil Nadu will proceed with the inspection based on the issues agreed upon between the two states.
However, legal experts pointed out that the court had ordered a comprehensive inspection by an independent committee. While there are concerns for Kerala, there is an assessment that the reference in the status report puts Tamil Nadu in charge of such inspection.
The report also mentions that there are technical hurdles in informing about the opening of the dam in advance considering the flood situation in Kerala. Currently, the decision is to find a temporary solution for this.
The status report indicates that the complaint that Kerala is not cooperating with the repair and strengthening of the Vallakadavu-Mullaperiyar ghat road was resolved in the last meeting.
The report suggests that the estimate for the construction will be handed over to Tamil Nadu by the Kerala forest department. Construction will start as soon as the Tamil Nadu government pays the amount.
Meanwhile, no decision has been made regarding the cutting of 15 trees in baby and earth dams as Kerala has not given permission, the report said. The committee directed both the chief secretaries to find a solution to the problem.
