Cabinet approved Committee to look into issues of safety & restoration of Mullaperiyar Dam

Union Cabinet on 18 June 2014 approved constitution of a three-member Supervisory Committee on the Mullaperiyar Dam. It will look into the issues about the safety and restoration of the dam. The Committee was set up in the light of Supreme Court judgment on the issue. SC earlier had directed Tamil Nadu and Kerala to raise the level of water in the dam to 142 feet.

The panel will be headed by a senior official of the Central Water Commission and will have one member each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

According to the decision of the Union Cabinet, Kerala will provide the office space to the committee and cost will be borne by Tamil Nadu.

Background
The Supreme Court on 7 May 2014 directed the centre to set a three-member committee while holding the dam to be safe. In its direction, it also asked Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level of dam to 142 feet and ultimately to 152 feet after completion of strengthening measures on the dam.

It directed to form the committee following apprehension of Kerala government about the safety of the dam on restoration. It also said that the committee should have one representative from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and one representative each from the two states – Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The five-judge Constitution bench of SC headed by CJI Justice R M Lodha also struck down a law promulgated by the Kerala government. The law had declared the dam as endangered and fixed the water level at 136-feet.