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SC asks Kerala to allow dam upkeep

The Supreme court Monday directed the Kerala government to permit Tamil Nadu to undertake maintenance and cleaning work at the Mullaperiyar dam.

The five-judge bench said the maintenance and the cleaning work at the dam would be undertaken under the supervision of a three-member committee.

The three-member committee will comprise of a superintending engineer each from Tamil Nadu and Kerala and an independent representative nominated by the chairman of the Central Water Commission.

The court's order came in pursuance of an application by Tamil Nadu government, seeking directions to Kerala to permit maintenance and cleaning of the dam by it.

The court has permitted 40 reports commissioned by an empowered committee be given to both Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The empowered committee headed by the former chief justice of India, Justice A.S. Anand, was set up by the Supreme Court to look into the safety of the dam.

The Justice Anand committee, set up in February 2010, was mandated to study all aspects of the 119-year-old dam including its safety. The committee submitted its report to the apex court in April.

When counsel for Tamil Nadu told the court that they be permitted to lay a road from Vallakadadu to Mullaperiyar, Kerala's counsel contended that the proposed road would require cutting of trees.
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