Kerala gives nod to T.N. PWD to transport building materials to Mullaperiyar dam site for annual upkeep: Theni Collector

Kerala government permits transport of building materials to Mullaperiyar reservoir site after initial hurdles, facilitating maintenance work.

In a major development, the Kerala government has given permission to transport building materials to Mullaperiyar reservoir site, said Theni Collector R. V. Shajeevana here on Friday.

Speaking to The Hindu, the Collector said that for annual maintenance, the PWD engineers would transport materials from Uthamapalayam taluk in Theni district in Tamil Nadu to the reservoir site in Kerala. The materials would be taken via Vallakadavu forest area and also through Thekkadi boating point.

However, when two lorries transported building materials on December 4, it was stopped at the Kumuli taluk check post (Tamil Nadu-Kerala border) by the Idukki district forest authorities.

The Forest Department officials said that permission was required for entry to the dam and detained the lorries. Following this, the Theni Collector informed about the development to the Additional Secretary (Water Resources Department of Tamil Nadu), which was subsequently taken to the higher level.

After the farmers’ associations in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu raised the issue, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had assured them that the issue would be sorted out amicably. Under such circumstances, the Collector informed that they have received the permission and hence the building materials would be moved shortly to the site.

Welcoming the development, the farmers’ associations in Theni district thanked the Chief Minister for his swift action by taking it up with his counterpart in Kerala. They hoped the Tamil Nadu government would also impress upon the Kerala authorities and raise the storage level to 152 feet.

The Mullaperiyar reservoir, which is situated between Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is an important and major source of water for drinking and irrigation purposes. Five districts - Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga and Ramanathapuram depend on it. During the AIADMK rule, the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had initiated a mega drinking water project to bring water to Madurai city directly from Mullaperiyar river and earmarked over ₹1,100 crore for the same. The project is expected to be implemented by next March.