Following a potential intervention by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, the Environment Ministry decided to postpone its meeting on Kerala’s proposal for a new dam at Mullaperiyar. Although the Centre did not specify the reason for the postponement, Stalin had written to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, urging them not to grant Kerala permission to conduct an environmental impact assessment for the new dam.
Tamil Nadu’s letter stressed that Kerala’s attempt to construct a new dam would violate the Supreme Court’s verdict, calling for contempt of court proceedings if Kerala proceeded. Farmers’ organizations in Tamil Nadu had already protested against Kerala’s move, with the Periyar Vaiga Irrigation Farmers Association leading a march near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in Kumali. Kerala, meanwhile, had planned to complete the detailed project document for the new dam within a month.
The communication from Tamil Nadu emphasized that several expert committees had previously assured the Supreme Court of the Mullaperiyar dam’s safety, and Kerala’s proposal for a new dam would contradict the court’s decision. In 2014, the National Board for Wildlife authorized Kerala to conduct an environmental impact assessment study around the project site, but in June 2015, the expert appraisal committee for river valley and hydroelectric projects acknowledged that any proposal for a new dam must have mutual agreement from both states, as per the Supreme Court’s judgment.
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