Dam: J Jayalalithaa questions Centre for entertaining Kerala’s request

Chennai, Jun 11: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has questioned the Centre for “entertaining” Kerala’s request for approving environment study to construct a new dam at Mullaperiyar in her state, saying it was in contravention to the Supreme Court order. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said the approval of Terms of Reference to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar, was in “gross violation” of a Supreme Court order on this issue. She also sought Modi’s intervention in the matter. In a letter dated June 10, Jayalalithaa said this was in “violation of the Constitution Bench Order of the Supreme Court,” as Kerala was seeking Centre’s approval” for the Environmental Impact Assessment study for construction of the new dam in place of the existing structure.Kerala’s act was in “utter contempt” of the May 2014 Supreme Court order which had held that the existing Mullaperiyar Dam was structurally, hydrologically and seismically safe and had “negatived in unequivocal terms, the offer of Kerala for the construction of a new Mullaperiyar Dam”, she said.Kerala’s review petition on this issue had also been dismissed and a “finality” reached on the matter but the state government was “seeking to subvert” the apex court order by “stealth”, seeking approval of the Terms of Reference to conduct the Environmental Impact Assessment study, she said.