Chennai: Sticking to its stand on building a new dam in place of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar reservoir, Kerala Friday said it is aware of the importance of giving water to five parched districts of Tamil Nadu, but is
concerned over the safety of its people.
"We know very well the importance of water from
Mullaperiyar to Tamil Nadu. The five districts of Tamil Nadu
are completely depending on water from Mullaperiyar. We are
always for distribution of water without any objection,"
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told reporters here.
At the same time, Chandy said his government "is very much
anxious" about the safety of the people of his state.
Chandy, who was here en route to Puducherry to pay homage
to Kerala Governor M O H Farook, who died last night, said the
dam issue could be discussed by the two states to find an
amicable solution.
The Chief Minister said Kerala wanted to maintain cordial
ties with Tamil Nadu.
The two states are locked in a bitter row over the more
than 116-year-old dam, with Kerala insisting on building a new
dam citing safety reasons while Tamil Nadu holds the view that
the existing reservoir is strong.
The Supreme Court empowered
committee is going into the issue.
PTI
First Published: Friday, January 27, 2012, 11:44