24 Nov 2006
Thiruvananthapuram: Hopes of an early resolution of the Mullaperiyar dam issue dimmed yesterday as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi threatened to pull out of talks proposed with his Kerala counter-part V.S. Achuthanandan on November 29.
Karunanidhi called for the federal government's intervention to check Kerala's "unlawful" acts.
A letter has been written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding his intervention, he said.
Karunanidhi was referring to the visit by 17 Naval officials to the Mullaperiyar dam site yesterday to check its safety following a request from the Kerala government.
He told reporters that it was Kerala's "unilateral action" without taking permission from Tamil Nadu which owns and maintains the dam.
"Any activity of this type is not in order when the Supreme Court itself has categorically observed that the dam is safe to store water up to 142 feet.
"The intimidating and precipitating action of Kerala Government just on the eve of the talks between the states under the auspices of the government of India is totally unwarranted and uncalled for," Karunanidhi said.
His warning coincided with sit-ins blocking roads by farmers and politicians in areas bordering Kerala demanding that the storage level in the Mullaperiyar dam be raised to 142 feet. A report said about 350 workers staged a road blockade in three places on the state highways bordering Kerala in Coimbatore district.
The protest comes a day after a dawn to dusk shutdown was observed by four villages in Peermedu subdistrict in Idukki district of Kerala demanding the construction of a new dam.
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
