Thiruvananthapuram: The government on Thursday decided to convene an all-party meeting on May 12 to discuss the Mullaperiyar dam issue in the backdrop of the Supreme Court verdict.
Chief minister Oommen Chandy told mediapersons here that the government would discuss various aspects related to the dam, especially the safety of the people. “We will try to evolve a consensus on the next course of action,” he added.
When asked whether there was any lapse on the part of the government to convincingly argue its case prior to the 2006 verdict, Mr Chandy said he did not want to blame anyone at this stage. “Our focus is mainly on safety. Our anxiety is genuine. We are not trying to create a panic situation or divert from the main issue.
It is a 119-year-old dam and the questions regarding its strength and safety are legitimate,’’ he added.
On former minister N.K. Premachandran’s suggestion to scrap the existing agreement, the chief minister said the government was only concerned about the safety. “We have never opposed giving water to Tamil Nadu from Mullaperiyar. But unfortunately the safety concerns of our people are not being acknowledged,’’ he said.
When asked whether the government would initiate discussions with Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said, “Now that we have called the all- party meeting, I don’t want to comment on the issue. We will take a decision on all issues after discussions. All have to remain united at this stage,” he said.
