Kerala govt to set up special cell on Mullaperiyar

Even as the deadlock between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar dam continues, the Kerala government is all set to constitute a special cell to sort out the issues.

Official sources here said that Kerala's minister for Water Resources NK Premachandran today said in New Delhi that a special cell would be set up with technical and legal experts on board to look into the issues and come up with workable solutions.

Further, the minister is said to have opined that the government would seek the services of experts from IIT, Roorkee, in addressing concerns regarding quake threats at the dam site.

On Wednesday, teams from the two states discussed the possibilities of reaching a consensus on the dam issue. While the Kerala team, led by Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan stuck to its stand that there was seepage in the dam, the Tamil Nadu side claimed that the seepage was well within normal limits.

The Kerala team had also charged Tamil Nadu with not allowing the state to inspect the dam to find out if the seepage was at dangerous levels.

Kerala now expects that Tamil Nadu would come out with a workable solution on Kerala's suggestion that a new dam be built at Mullaperiyar soon.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu expects that Kerala would agree to its suggestion that experts from the Central Water Commission be allowed to inspect the dam for the seepage. All these seem to suggest that yet another round of talks between the two sides is on the anvil.