DMK urges State govt to move court against Kerala

Chennai

Principal opposition party DMK has urged the ruling AIADMK to move the court against the Centre for granting permission to Kerala to conduct EIA (environment impact assessment) study for constructing a new dam in Mullaiperiyar.

Verdict of the Constitution Bench of Supreme Court headed by Justice R M Lodha insists that Kerala should affix the letter of consent of Tamil Nadu government while applying for EIA, but the Union Environment Ministry has permitted EIA without the consent of TN, which amounts to contempt of court, Duraimurugan said.

Remarking that the EIA permitted by the Centre, which has been consistently ignoring Tamil Nadu, was another frontal attack on the state, the DMK treasurer expressed shock at the proposal of Kerala that the new dam would be constructed in four years and the old dam would be partly rendered inoperative and subsequently demolished.

The State government should immediately move the court and prevent the project, Duraimurugan said, urging Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to drop the project in the interest of Tamil Nadu farmers and environment.

The DMK treasurer, who held the public works and water resources portfolio in the previous DMK regime, also claimed that the new dam proposed 1200 feet below the existing dam would only store 0.017tmcft.

The construction work to be undertaken and the land to be utilised for the new dam was in the elephant corridor and the project would cause serious environmental harm, he added.

Opining that the new dam would seriously affect the people of Kerala who were tormented by floods very recently, Duraimurugan said the permission granted by the Centre has created a situation which could jeopardise ties between the two states.