Chennai:
Thanking the Centre for its decision to constitute a Supervisory Committee to ensure increasing the height of Mullaperiyar dam and look into its safety aspects, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the "prompt action".
"The decision of the Union Cabinet to constitute the Supervisory Committee will help mitigate the distress of the farmers in the five southern districts of Tamil Nadu dependent on Mullaiperiyar water. Your prompt action in this regard is deeply appreciated," she said in a letter to Mr Modi late today.
Thanking the Prime Minister for his cabinet decision, she recalled having presented a memorandum to him during her June 3 meeting with him, where she had demanded constituting the committee as per the Supreme Court direction on the inter-state dispute involving Kerala.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Mr Modi had approved the constitution of the three-member panel based on the directions of the Apex Court. According to the proposal, the supervisory committee will ensure increasing the full reserve level to 142 feet and look into the safety aspects of the over 100-year-old structure.
The court had directed setting up of the committee in May while holding the dam to be safe. It had allowed the Tamil Nadu government to raise the water level to 142 feet and ultimately to 152 feet after completion of strengthening measures on the dam.