KPCC wants Jaya to ease stand on dam issue
PTI | 05:12 PM,Dec 05,2011Thiruvananthapuram,Dec 5 (PTI) Congress heading the ruling UDF government in Kerala today wanted Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to give up her "tough stand" on the Mullaperiyar dam issue and come forward for amicably settling the long pending dispute through dialogue. Briefing reporters on the deliberations of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) executive, which met here exclusively to discuss the dam issue, party state president Ramesh Chnennithala said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister should give up her "tough stand" and pave way for an out of court settlement through talks. Congress in Kerala was of the view that a new dam in place of the 116-year-old structure was the only lasting solution to the tangle while the water level of the reservoir should be immediately brought down to 120 feet to alleviate anxieties and apprehension of the people in Kerala. Chennithala hoped that Tamil Nadu Government would appreciate Kerala's slogan "water for Tamil Nadu and safety to Kerala" and create an atmosphere for talks. He said early resolution of the issue was important not only to Kerala but also to Tamil Nadu as water from Mullaperiyar was vital for farming in five districts there-- Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga, Madurai and Ramanathapuram. On the row over the submissions made by Advocate General K P Dandapani in the High Court, Chennithala said it was for the government to take a decision on the issue and that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had already asked the AG to appear before the cabinet to explain things. However, many in the party felt that the AG had erred by making oral submissions in the court that allegedly contradicted the state's stand on the dam issue. If reports in this regard were true, the statements made by AG in the court were not that of the Government or the Congress party, he said. PTI NM RC HKS 12051637
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