THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet which met on Wednesday held fast to the state’s twin demands for a new dam at Mullaperiyar and lowering of water level at the 116-year-old existing lime-and-surki dam to 120 feet.Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will visit New Delhi on Thursday for another round of talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on these issues.At a post-Cabinet briefing here, Chandy said he would write to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa conveying Kerala’s stand. He said he had no problem in holding talks with his Tamil Nadu counterpart if it would serve to settle the dispute.Chandy, who reiterated his government’s resolve to ensure the safety of the people, pointed out that Jayalalithaa herself had opposed the `20,000-crore Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project citing the safety of the local people.As a precautionary measure, Chandy said the water level in the Idukki dam would be lowered to enable the arch dam to hold its own in the event of any failure of Mullaperiyar dam. This will be done by upping power generation at the 780-MW Idukki project. Although operating the power project at full throttle during winter months could lead to severe power shortage during summer, the state government was putting the safety of the people first, Chandy said.The state would comply with the Supreme Court verdict, but it could not wait until the verdict was out, he said.“We stick to our demands for a new dam and lowering water level to 120 feet. Both are of paramount importance in the present situation,” Chandy said, referring to the frequent tremors at the dam area.“Independent India has witnessed many water disputes between states. This is the first instance in which there is no dispute at all over the giving of water. Since we have agreed to give Tamil Nadu water, why do they oppose the new dam,” Chandy wondered.
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