MULLAPERIYAR DAM-THE REAL FACTS

The Mullaperiyar dam issue is still burning more vigorously than before with the claim of TAMIL NAADU GETTING MORE IMPORTANCE THAN IIT EXISTED EARLIER.NOW THE TN CM IS CLAIMING NOT ONLY CONTROL BUT THE OWNERSHIP FOR THE DAM TOO.ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT OF KERALA IS NOT YET READY TO APPROVE THESE CLAIMS& IS INSISTING THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO CONSIDER THEIR CLAIM AS RIGHT ONE,IT LOOKS THE CENTRE IS NOT IN A POSITION TO OBLIGE THE REAL OWNERS& INSTEAD ARE FORCED TO AGREE WITH THE CLAIMS OF THE TN. NOW WHAT ALL ARE THE FACTS ABOUT THE ISSUE?LET US HAVE A LOOK AT IT THE ORIGINAL HISTORY OF THE DAM IS AS UNDER: IN IDUKKIBDISTRICT(THE PRESENT IDUKKI DISTRICT),THE THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN 1887 THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE DAM WAS STARTED& WAS COMPLETED IN 1895.THAT IS IN A MATTER OF 8 YEARS.THE ORIGINAL INTENTION OF THE DAM WAS TO MAKE AVAILABLE WATER FOR THE FARMERS OF MATHURA FOR CARRYING OUT AGRICULTURE SUCCESSFULLY. THE VISAKHAM THIRUNAL RAMA VARMA,THE KING OF TRAVANCORE & THE BRITISH GOVERNMENTMADE AN AGREEMENT FOR 999 YEARS TO SUPLLY WATER TO MADRAS STATE(THE PRESENT TAMIL NAADU).HOWEVER INDIA ON GETTING INDEPENDENCE THE AGREEMENT WAS IN FACT BECAME INVALID. BUT SINCE THE FARMERS OF KERALS WERE NOT READY TO CARRY OUT AGRICULTURE &PRODUCE THE REQUIRED VEGETABLE FO KERALA& HAD TO DEPEND UPON TAMILNAADU TO GET VEGETABLE SUPPLIED BY THEM TO KERALA TO MEET THE REQUIREMENT OF KERALA.IN ORDER TO FULFIL THIS ,THE TAMIL NAADU INSISTED ON SUPPLYING THEM WATER REQUIRED FROM THE MULLAPERIYAR DAM.SO AFTER PROLONGED DISCUSSION FOR A LONG TIME,IN 1970 THE CHIEF MINISTER OF KERALA SHRI C C.ACHUTHA MENON MADE A REVISED AGREEMENT AGAIN FOR SUPPLY OF WATER FROM THE DAM FOR 999 YEARS .THAT IS UNT UNTIL THE YEAR 2969.IN OTHER WORDS,THE AGREEMENT IS VALID TO SUPPLY WATER FOR YET ANOTHER957 YEARS TO TAMIL NAADU. THIS BEING SO,KERALA CAN NOT DENY SUPPLY OF WATER TO TAMIL NAADU FROM THE DAM. THE TAMIL NAADU TOOK UNDUE ADVANTAGE OF THIS EXIISTING AGREEMENT TO CLAIM WATER AT THEIR WILL AND PLEASURE.BUT THEY DID NOT BOTHER ABOUT SUPLY OF VEGETABLE TO KERALA ON A REGULAR BASIS AS IT WOULD APPEAR THIS POINT WAS NOT A PART OF THE DEAL ,TAMIL NAADU STARTED PLAYING HIDE& SEEK WITH KERALA.THEY EVEN UNSCRUPOLOUSLY INSISTED ON EXHORBITANT PRICE FOR VEGETABLE SUPPLIES TO KERALA AT THEIR WILL & PLEASURE .KERALA COULD NOT CLAIM VEGETABLE FROM TAMIL NAADU AS A MATTER OF RI .THE TAMIL NAADU HAS EVEN STARTED CLAIMING OWNERSHIP& CONTROL OVER THE DAM. SO THE KERALA CM RIGHTLY AGREED TO SUPPLY WATER UNDER THE PROVISION OF THE AGREEMENT. EVEN THEN,THE TN GOVT IS NOT READY TO AGRREING WITH ANY OF THE TERMS OF KERALA LIKE CONSTRUCTING NEW DAM FEARING THAT KERALA MIGHT STOP SUPPLYING WATER TO THEM AS SOON AS THE NEW DAM IS COMPLETED. AS THERE WAS NO CLEAR CUT TERMS IN THE AGREEMENT OF1970 ABOUT THE WATER LEVEL TO BE MAINTAINED TN STARTED INSISTING ON THE RISING OF THE LEVEL FROM THE THEN EXISTED LEVEL OF 136 feet to 152FEET AS A RESULT OF DIFFERENT PETITIONS FILED IN THE KERALA HIGH COURT&MADRAS HIGHCOURT BY DIFFERENT PERSONS. FINALLY DR.SUBRAMANIAM SWAMY FILED A PETITION IN THE SUPREME COURT ON 5thAUGUST1998 TO TRANSFER THE Court CASES TO SUPREME COURT.ON DECEMBER 13 1999 THE APEX COURT CONSIDERED THE CASE & SUGGESTED THE BE DECIDED BY DISCUSSION BY BOTH THE STATES.THOUGH A DISCUSSION WAS HELD AT TRIVANDRUM ON april5th No agreement reached between the two CMs ofTAMILNAADU & Kerala. The dispute is going on like this since then insisting on rising level& lowering level IN THE MEANTIME MANY EARTHQUAKES TOOK PLACE AND ANXIETY TO THE CAPABILITY OF THE OLD DAM HAS BECOME OF VITAL IMPORTANCE. THE REST OF THE DISPUTES ARE WELL KNOWN TO EVERY ONE. THE OPINION OF ,SHRI MK PARAMESWARAN NAIR CHAIRMAN OF THE MULLAPERIYAR DAM,SHRI JOHN MATHAI THE SCIENTIST OF CENTRE FOR EARTH SCIENCE STUDIES,THE TECHNICAL DATA ABOUT THE DAM & the chanced of The dam collapsing if an earthquake of high intensity occurs etc etc pointed out by IIT ROURKKEE ALL POINTS OUT TO A CALAMITY THAT MIGHT TAKE PLACE IF AN EARTHE QUAKE OF ABOVE 6 on RECTOR SCALE TAKES PLACE.BUT NOT TO THE SATISFACTION OF TN CM. EVEN IF WE ALLOW 99% correctness to the views of TN,the one percent possibility of a collapse CAN NOT BE TOTALLY RULED OUT. ON THIS ONE PERCENT DEPENDS THE LIVES OF LAKHS OF PEOPLE OF KERALA STAYING AROUND THE DAM& upto ERNAKULAM. NO ONE CAN PREDICT THE OCCURANCE OF AN EARTH QUAKE OF HIGH AS MUCH AS 6 orEVEN HIGHER ON RECTOR SCALE WHAT THE GOVERNMENTS OF TN& Kerala should think about is the safety Of life ant property of PEOPLE THE NATURE WOULD NEVER TELL TN OR KERALA BEFORE IT DECIDES TO STRIKES. SO LET US PRAY WITH CLOSED EYES AND FOLDED HANDS TO GIVE WISDOM TO THE CONCERNED PEOPLE TO OPEN THEIR EYES AT LEAST NOW BEFOR IT IS TOO LATE!!! SREEDHARAN MUNDANAT SUPREME COURT.