In right earnest, Kerala has begun the survey to build a new reservoir to replace the 113-year-old Mullaperiyar dam even as wrangling between Tamil Nadu, which opposes the move and Kerala, intensified. Kerala began the survey after the Centre's recent clearance, which Tamil Nadu has opposed and has sought a stay on it from the Supreme Court.
As a team of engineers began the survey, Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan accused his counterpart M Karunanidhi and AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa of deceiving people by opposing the construction of a new dam.
According to him, the existing structure, located on the inter-state Mullaperiyar river, posed a grim threat to the lives of four million people and it was the state government's responsibility to ensure their safety and security. Kerala had never said it would deny water from the dam to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister clarified.
Meanwhile, according to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Kerala's decision to conduct a survey to build a new dam to replace the existing reservoir is not proper in law as the entire matter was sub-judice.
Tamil Nadu has also moved the apex court against a legislation passed by the Kerala assembly three years ago to limit the full reservoir level to 136 feet, in a move to circumvent a Supreme Court order allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the water level to 142 feet.
Karunanidhi hit out at the CPI-M, lead partner in the ruling LDF in Kerala, wondering whether a national party can indulge in "such acts" and expect the Tamil Nadu government to meekly comply with them. "By seeing such actions of the Kerala government, people will wonder as to which state is ruling the country," he said.
True, the Mullaperiyar issue has brought the two states on a collision course. Such instances pose a question mark on our very identity as a nation. I hold the view that our leaders have done nothing to promote national integration. In fact they have done signal disservice through linguistic reorganization of States, seriously weakening our unity.