Jaya questions Centre for entertaining Kerala's request

Tamil Nadu CM  J Jayalalithaa has questioned the Centre for "entertaining" Kerala's request for approving environment study to construct a new dam at Mullaperiyar in her state, saying it was in contravention to the Supreme Court order.

In a letter to PM Narendra Modi, she said the approval of Terms of Reference to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment Study for the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar, was in "gross violation" of a Supreme Court order on this issue. She also sought Modi's intervention in the matter.

She said this was in "violation of the Constitution Bench Order of the SC," as Kerala was seeking Centre's approval" for the Environmental Impact Assessment study for construction of the new dam in place of the existing structure.  Kerala's act was in "utter contempt" of the May 2014 SC order, which had held that the existing dam was <g data-gr-id="16">structurally</g>, hydrologically and seismically safe and had "<g data-gr-id="18">negatived</g> in unequivocal terms, the offer of Kerala for the construction of a new Mullaperiyar Dam", she said.