Click to play videoNew Delhi: The tussle between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the Mullaperiyar Dam has reached a flashpoint as Tamil Nadu threatens to pull out of talks with Kerala on November 29.
The decision came after Kerala sent a naval team to inspect the 110-year-old dam, lying on the border between the two states.
As the dam dispute threatens to snowball, the Centre has decided to play a more proactive role. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met a delegation of MPs from Kerala on Friday night and assured them that their interests will be addressed.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over raising of the water level in the Mullaperiyar Dam.
Tamil Nadu wants to raise water level at the dam from 136 ft to 142 ft to irrigate five of its southern districts, but Kerala is against this because it fears this will flood its territory.
The face-off between the two states began after Kerala on Thursday sent a team of Navy divers to inspect the 110-year-old dam. An enraged Karunanidhi saw this as “unlawful” and has warned that he may boycott a meeting with Kerala CM V S Achyutanandan on November 29.
The Kerala government says it has the right to inspect the dam, but Tamil Nadu says the structure is under its administrative control.
Karunanidhi has written to the Prime Minister, complaining that ''if Kerala continues to indulge in “unlawful” actions, “it is not possible for Tamil Nadu to participate in the talks.”
Achyutanandan responded by saying Tamil Nadu could withdraw from the November 29 talks in New Delhi if it wanted to. "Tamil Nadu's threat was borne out of fear of losing its arguments at the meet," he said.
Achyutanandan said Mullaperiyar was Kerala's "sole property" and was given to Tamil Nadu on lease.
DMK activists on Friday blockaded roads leading to Kerala. Officials in Kerala alleged that some state-owned buses were damaged in Tamil Nadu on Friday.
The blockade was lifted later in the day, but not before it resulted in traffic jams over 20 kilometers long. Thousands of people and trucks carrying essential commodities to Kerala were stranded.
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