Nadu by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on 7-12-2011
At the outset I welcome the statement you have issued yesterday urging
restraint and calm. We have also appealed to the public to exercise
restraint and shall not allow the cordial relations between our two states
to be marred by stray incidents and provocative actions. An all-party
meet on 6th December, has unanimously appealed to maintain self
restraint. I can assure you that neither the Government nor any political
party in Kerala would encourage violence or tolerate vandalism on
account of this issue. Police presence in the border has been
strengthened. We are confident of protecting the dam and ensuring
peace in the area.
In your reply to my letter dated 1st December 2011, you have only
reiterated the stand of Tamil Nadu that the ‘retrofitted Mullaperiyar
Dam is as good as new’ and that there is no need for a new dam. I do not
wish to get into an argument on these contentious points but let me
point out that the heightened seismic activity in the region coupled with
increased reservoir levels have made our people living downstream of
the dam literally sleepless. In your letter dated 23.11.2011 addressed to
the Honb’le Prime Minister, you have said that the reaction among the
people of Kerala is based on ‘fear perception rather than facts’. Fear is
a fact that cannot be wished away, especially when it is compounded by
recorded tremors and observed water levels.
The scale of the catastrophe in the event of collapse of the existing dam
is unimaginable and it will make all of us eternally guilty. Your assertion
that ‘the possibility of tremors of even medium magnitude does not
exist’ in the dam site is contrary to facts. Rationally, frequent tremors
have to be taken as nature’s warning. Mullaperiyar dam, you will agree,
will not withstand an earthquake of a larger magnitude. Construction of
a new dam is the only solution which would guarantee water to Tamil
Nadu and safety for Kerala. It is a solution where both sides win.
Fear among the people is palpable and my Government is taking possible
disaster management and mitigation measures to the extent possible.
You have inferred from a submission made by our Advocate General
before the Kerala High Court in the context of disaster mitigation, that
everything is safe. It is a completely erroneous inference. We are
consciously trying to keep the reservoir levels in these dams as low as
possible in order to reduce the intensity of disaster. This is being done at
a heavy cost and it can only partially mitigate the disaster. We are
forced to keep the water levels low in Idukki, Kulamavu and Cheruthoni
dams on account of the fragility of the Mullaperiyar dam and the
continuing water level of over 136 ft.
It is heartening that a discussion at the level of Secretaries of the two
States is now scheduled on 16th December in the Ministry of Water
Resources. We should make use of the forum for meaningful exchange of
ideas and appreciation of each other’s positions to find a way forward.
Kerala has always assured that Tamil Nadu will continue to receive the
same quantity of water from the proposed new dam. There is total
consensus across the political spectrum in Kerala for supplying water to
Tamil Nadu. But even as we recognize your need for water, you have not
appreciated our concern and fear about the safety of the existing old
dam.
I write this letter to provide a clearer perspective on the situation and
to reassure you that violence and untoward incidents will not be
tolerated by my Government. I also wish to reiterate Kerala’s
commitment to provide the same quantity of water to Tamil Nadu from
the proposed new dam. I have no doubt that you can infuse a new sense
of realism in the long debated Mullaperiyar issue. We have no doubt that
you will appreciate and understand our concern and anxiety on this issue
and request you to lend your support in our efforts to mitigate the
disaster and find a lasting solution
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