CHENNAI: With the Supreme Court hearing petitions on the Mullaperiyar dam, State CPI secretary M Veerapandian has urged the Tamil Nadu government to firmly oppose any move suggesting the construction of a new dam. He said Kerala should not permit speculative claims questioning the safety of the existing structure.

In a statement, Veerapandian recalled that a Supreme Court-appointed committee led by former judge AS Anand had confirmed through a detailed study that the dam was structurally sound, capable of withstanding seismic activity, and safe to store water up to 152 feet. “As both scientific and legal scrutiny have already affirmed the dam's stability, raising fresh doubts is unwarranted,” he said.

Referring to the petition filed by a Kerala-based voluntary organisation and heard by the Supreme Court on October 13, Veerapandian said the Bench had indicated the possibility of ordering strengthening measures, forming an expert panel, or even exploring the idea of a new dam. The CPI's State executive urged the Tamil Nadu government to resist such moves legally and protect the State's rights over the Mullaperiyar.