Thiruvananthapuram: There is no change in
Kerala`s declared stance to construct a new protection dam at
Mullaperiyar to ensure safety of its people in downstream
areas of the existing 116 year-old dam, which has been found
unsafe, Finance Minister K M Mani said here on Tuesday.
The state budget presented by him in the assembly
yesterday had set apart Rs 50 crore for initial expense for
the construction.
Addressing reporters here, he said the state planned to
build the protection dam 1,300 feet beneath the existing dam
in keeping with the state`s policy of "water for Tamil Nadu
and safety for Kerala."
The existing dam posed a serious threat to the life and
assets of lakhs of people living downstream in five districts
in the state, he said.
Tamil Nadu would continue to get the same quantity of
water as it was getting now after the construction of the new
dam, Mani said.
PTI
