Chennai, April 18 (BPNS)

Tamil Nadu Water resources minister and senior leader of the DMK, S. Duriamurugan has said that Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin would decide on whether the state should accept the supervisory committee till the National Dam Safety Authority becomes functional. Duraimurugan was speaking in the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly on Monday.

Minister while responding to a calling attention motion in the assembly said that it would take another year for the Dam Safety Authority to come into force.

Duraimurugan said, “ Our Chief Secretary and their (Kerala) Chief Secretary are in the supervisory committee. The question is whether we are accepting the proposal to give the powers of the Dam Safety Authority to the supervisory committee. Our lawyers are saying that there is no other way. I request the Chief Minister  to convene a meeting with the opposition and take a decision.”

The calling attention motion was moved by the Deputy Leader of Opposition, O. Panneerselvam, and other party leaders. The former Chief Minister while speaking called upon the Chief Minister to use his friendship with the Kerala Chief Minister to raise the height of the dam to 152 feet.

It may be noted that a division bench of the Supreme Court of India comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Abhay S Oka and CT Ravikumar had ordered that it was strengthening the Mulleperiyar Dam supervisory committee and called upon both Kerala and Tamil Nadu states to provide all necessary assistance to the committee.