Will discuss Mullaiperiyar issue with CM Vijay after budget: Kerala CM Satheesan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday said that his administration will hold "bilateral discussions" with the Tamil Nadu government regarding the over-125-year-old Mullaiperiyar dam to ensure safety for Kerala and water for its neighbour state.

The Chief Minister said the discussions will be conducted in the Assembly after the budget is presented on June 19.

Satheesan further said that he would also meet Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and hold discussions on the issue of night travel in the border areas between Kerala and Karnataka. "I will also be visiting those areas," he added.

"I have to meet and talk with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, on various other issues besides the Mullaiperiyar dam. I had told both the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers that I would be meeting them to discuss these matters," he noted.

The Chief Minister noted that all this will happen after the budget discussion is over and it is passed.

The Mullaperiyar dam was built in 1895. While Tamil Nadu has been maintaining that the dam is "absolutely safe", Kerala has been vociferous in its demand for a new dam to be built near the existing structure.