Panel submits reports to SC on Mullaperiyar

New Delhi: The Empowered Committee on the controversial Mullaperiyar Dam issue today submitted its report to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover which would be examined by a Constitution Bench. The five-member committee headed by former Chief Justice of India AS Anand which had finalised the report is understood to have focused on all aspects of the 119-year-old dam including its safety. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are at loggerheads over the continuance of the dam. A five-judge Constitution Bench is scheduled to take up the matter on 4 May. [caption id=“attachment_288831” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Image via Wikimedia Commons”]  [/caption] The committee, which was set up by the apex court in February 2010 to go into all aspects of the dam, had undertaken several visits to the dam site and conducted tests and studies through various agencies on many aspects including safety. While former apex court judge AR Lakshmanan represents Tamil Nadu, another ex-Supreme Court judge KT Thomas represents Kerala. There has been tension between the two states over the safety of the dam. While Tamil Nadu contends that the dam is safe and its water level has to be raised from 132 ft to 136 ft, Kerala says the structure is weak and it has to be replaced with a new dam. As tensions rose between the two states in December last year, a two-member technical team of the Empowered Committee visited the site and is understood to have concluded that recent tremors in that region did not have any impact on the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams and that they were safe. The committee’s tenure was extended after February this year to enable it to complete its report. PTI