Kerala ready for joint control of new dam

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has expressed its consent to jointly manage with Tamil Nadu and the Centre a new dam in place of the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar reservoir.

Announcing the state's decision after a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the Supreme Court-appointed Empowered Committee, headed by former Indian chief justice A.S. Anand, would be informed of the decision by Friday.

The panel had asked both states to inform it about the possibility of jointly running a new dam. Tamil Nadu is yet to reveal its stance on the issue.

The panel had rejected Kerala's plea to reduce water level at the dam to 120 feet from 136 feet, as fixed by the Supreme Court a decade ago.

However, during a sitting in Delhi on Monday and Tuesday, the panel had reportedly welcomed the idea of a new dam. However, it clarified that the final decision would be taken only after consulting both Kerala and Tamil Nadu, who have been locked in a dispute over the dam.

Clarification on Metro

Meanwhile, putting the lids on a controversy surrounding the Kochi Metro Rail project, the chief minister said that state would rope in the services of former Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chairman E. Sreedharan.

The DMRC had issued a notice to the state government, informing it of withdrawing from the project in protest against Kerala's move to float a global tender. This move belied the promise given to the DMRC that the Kochi Metro project would be awarded to it.

"Sreedharan's word would be final on the Kochi Metro. He will be in the city on January 12 to attend the state's Planning Board meet. All issues connected with the project will be sorted out. No controversy will be permitted to stall this dream project,'' Chandy told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

Need for global tender

However, Chandy clarified that the global tender was a pre-requisite for getting a loan from the Japanese Funding Agency, which had promised a lower interest rate.

The Kochi Metro envisages a public transport system on an elevated platform for 27 kilometres from Aluva to Punithura in Kochi city.

Various quarters, including some allies of the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF), have alleged that the state government is eyeing hefty kickbacks from big players after deviating from its earlier stance of entrusting the project to DMRC, which had executed a similar project in Delhi without time or cost overruns.