Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today said the state has sought a permanent injunction in the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh to restrain it from taking up any unilateral dam work across Palar river.
The suit has also sought restoration of original height in check dams located at Perupallam, Kanganahalli, Sithavur and Kangkunthi in Andhra Pradesh, she said.
"It has also been sought in court that the flow of natural waters in Palar and its tributary rivers should be ensured to Tamil Nadu," she said in a statement here.
Also, the plea has sought "a declaration by the court that the unilateral act of Andhra Pradesh in increasing the height of check dams across Palar river was violative of the rights of the people of Tamil Nadu."
She recalled that on July 1 she had written to her Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu, demanding that the height of check dam at Perumpallam be brought back to its original height of nine feet from 12 feet.
She had also urged that height of similar dams at Kanganahalli, Sithavur and Kangkunthi, which was increased in the past two months, be brought back to its original levels.
The chief minister said she had stressed that the natural flow of water should not be hindered. Also, the Central government was urged to advise AP on the issue.
"When Andhra Pradesh and the central government did not take any steps, Tamil Nadu approached the Supreme Court on the issue on July 18 on my orders," she said.
She reiterated that Andhra Pradesh cannot do any unilateral construction which would hinder, divert or store water as Palar was an inter-state river covered under the Madras-Mysore pact of 1892.
She said a section of media has reported that a Tamil Nadu farmer had committed suicide yesterday in the Perumpallam check dam, which was filling up fast owing to rains.
Such reports had claimed that C Srinivasan had ended his life by jumping into the check dam due to anguish over Andhra Pradesh raising the height of the barrage.
She said an enquiry by Vellore District Collector and a probe by police has revealed it was an accident.
"The farmer was taking a look at the check dam by standing on the wall and he fell into it by accident," she said, condoling his death.
She ordered a solatium of Rs three lakh from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to the kin of the farmer.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi had on July 28 demanded that Jayalalithaa work expeditiously and obtain an injunction from the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh on the Palar river issue.
