Mullaperiyar Dam: Agitation council chief removed

Removed for his recent remarks which diluted the Samithi's firm stand on the issue

PTI | December 27, 2011



Sharp differences in the local campaign group agitating for a new dam at Mullaperiyar for the last five years has come to the fore with the removal of its chairman C P Roy by other members of the Mullaperiyar Samara Samithi.

According to Samithi leaders, Roy was removed from the post for his recent remarks which diluted the Samithi's firm stand that a new dam alone could ensure the safety of the people in downstream areas.

The samithi at its meeting here last evening decided to remove Roy from the post and nominated Fr. Joy Nirappel as the new chairman.

According to Roy, his suggestion was that pressure in the dam could be reduced by digging a tunnel at a height of 50 feet in place of the present one at 104 feet. He said the paramount concern was safety of the people who had been living in fear for the last several years.

Roy said he had only put forth a suggestion, which was yet to be discussed by the Samithi members.

However, the Mullaperiyar Samara Samithi, in a statement said Roy's personal view was at divergence with it's declared stand that a new dam is the only option to ensure security to lakhs of people who are living in fear.

The dam row has intensified since last month with both Tamil Nadu and Kerala sparring over the latter's insistence on building a new dam in place of the 116-year old Mullaperiyar reservoir, causing tension in border areas of both states.

Kerala has been citing safety concerns for its demand to decommission the dam, which feeds five southern districts in Tamil Nadu, under whose control it comes on a 999 year lease.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter