[fedordzen]

Charging Kerala with preventing Tamil Nadu (TN) from plugging holes drilled in the Mullaiperiyar dam, CM Jayalalithaa sought Sunday immediate intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to facilitate the work. She warned TN would be forced to guard the dam if Kerala’s “recalcitrant” attitude persisted.

“Kerala has been preventing Tamil Nadu officials in spite of clear directions given by the [Supreme Court-appointed] empowered committee [EC] to close the holes,” CM said in a letter to PM.

She said the TN government had taken up the matter with the Kerala government, “but to no avail”.

EC had ordered a series of tests to assess the dam’s structural stability, for which vertical holes had to be drilled and the core extracted.
“Now, the holes have to be closed in view of the approaching monsoon to prevent damage to the dam,” CM said.

She said Kerala’s attempts to prevent TN officials from filling the holes “appears to be a ploy to ensure the

structural stability of the dam is weakened, especially in the light of the report of the empowered committee which concluded the dam is structurally, seismically and hydrologically safe and the water level could be raised to 142 feet.” Despite giving an undertaking to Supreme Court, Kerala has been using its police to stop TN engineers from carrying out even routine maintenance.
“This attitude of Kerala government is reprehensible and needs to be set right,” Ms Jayalalithaa said.

If Kerala persisted with this “recalcitrant attitude” and Centre failed to respond to her request for deploying CISF, TN would “have no option but to deploy its own police to guard the dam”, she warned.

Source - Deccan Chronicle