CHENNAI: Describing the Centre's decision to keep the environmental study for Kerala's Siruvani dam project in abeyance as an 'eyewash' to divert the resentment in Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue, leader of Opposition M.K. Stalin on Thursday urged the state government to exert pressure on the Centre to reject the Kerala proposal totally.
Fully rejecting the proposal alone will lead to a permanent solution to farmers of the Kongu region, he said. Though the decision to suspend the environmental impact study for the dam project is welcome, the fact that the Centre had not permanently stopped it is a matter of concern. The study had been stopped only till all the appeals before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal are settled or till the consent of Tamil Nadu is obtained.
He said the Centre which agreed to set up the Cauvery Management Board in the Supreme Court, suddenly made a U-turn and refused to comply with the Supreme Court order to form the board, Stalin recalled. All the parties including the DMK are protesting against the centre's decision and there is widespread resentment and anger in Tamil Nadu against the Union government, the DMK treasurer said.
The Centre's move on Siruvani dam is aimed at mollifying the anger in Tamil Nadu and divert the Cauvery issue. There are suspicions if the Centre's move on Siruvani could be similar to its deceitful move on the CMB, he said and the AIADMK patting itself for the temporary measure is strange and surprising. Recalling that a committee of the Union environment ministry had recommended the study earlier, claiming that Tamil Nadu government had not given any reply, Stalin said there are demands to take action on the central government officials who had ignored Tamil Nadu's reply and acted in support of Kerala. The AIADMK government should explain about the action taken on officials who acted in favour of Kerala, Stalin added.
Kerala to seek consensus with Tamil Nadu on dam:
The Kerala Government on Thursday made it clear that it would go ahead with the state’s proposed dam project across Siruvani river after arriving at a consensus with neighbouring Tamil Nadu. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made the remarks in the Assembly in the wake of the Centre withholding permission given to Kerala to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the project on the request of Tamil Nadu.
Vijayan, while replying to a submission on the issue in the Assembly, said the project was significant for Kerala as it was envisaging finding a solution for the acute drinking water scarcity in Attappady region. He also confirmed that the state had received a letter from the Centre, with its decision to keep in abeyance the recommendations of an expert committee of Environment Ministry allowing Kerala to conduct EIA study for the dam.
The Centre took the decision after the Tamil Nadu government had sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi objecting the project, he added. “The government's plan is to go ahead with the dam project. For this, we will try to arrive at a consensus with Tamil Nadu and the Centre,” the chief minister said while replying to a submission raised by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. “The Attappady Irrigation project (as part of which the dam is proposed to be constructed), is envisaged for the irrigation in 4,900 hectares of agricultural land in Agali, Sholayur and Kottathara areas,” Vijayan said.
