New dam Mullaperiyar Dam

Kerala politicians led by Chief Minister Ommen Chandy today knocked the doors of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his immediate intervention in persuading Tamil Nadu to settle the Mullaperiyar Dam issue. An all-party delegation from the state met Singh and urged him to initiate a dialogue between Kerala and Tamil Nadu for arriving at an amicable settlement as early as possible, in view of the "current sense" of anxiety and fear among Keraliites. In a memorandum submitted to Singh, the delegation said no responsible government or party can afford to remain a silent spectator when people are living in constant fear of death and destruction. "Kerala has offered to construct a new dam at our cost which will ensure the same quantity of water for Tamil Nadu as they now receive. But government of Tamil Nadu has turned a deaf ear to this unambiguous proposal," it said. The delegation told the Prime Minister that there have been more than 26 tremors in the dam area since July this year, with the highest recorded magnitude being 3.8 on Richter Scale. "Along with this continued unprecedented seismic activity, the water level in the reservoir has gone above 136 feet for the past several days. These two factors have intensified the possibilities of imminent danger and have raised fear and panic among people to alarming proportions. "It is unfortunate that this anxiety and fear is being dismissed as overreaction," the delegation said.