T.N. Assembly passes resolution against Siruvani dam
A special resolution moved by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, opposing Kerala’s Attappady Valley irrigation project on the Siruvani River, was unanimously passed by the State Assembly on Friday.
Ms. Jayalalithaa moved the resolution urging the Centre not to accept the recommendations of the committee formed by the Environment Ministry, allowing Kerala to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project.
“Also, till the time the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee come into force, and judgments are delivered in the cases at the courts, we urge the Centre to not permit the Kerala and Karnataka governments to undertake any project in the Cauvery basin,” the resolution said.
Inter-State river
Siruvani is an inter-State river and a sub-tributary of the Cauvery. Even the Cauvery Water Tribunal had included both the Siruvani and the Bhavani river basins while calculating the share of water, the resolution said.
The resolution recalled the measures taken by Ms. Jayalalithaa who, in 2012, had written to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging the Centre to not allow Kerala’s proposal to build a dam on the Siruvani River under the Attappady Valley irrigation project.
“The Chief Minister had requested the Centre to not allow the project till a final award of the Cauvery Tribunal was published in the Central gazette and cases filed in the courts were completed,” the resolution said.
EAC recommendation
In March 2016, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, asked Kerala to solicit the views of the Tamil Nadu government, on its request to approve the Standard Terms of Reference to undertake the EIA.
The Committee had said the plea would be taken up only after Tamil Nadu’s opinion on the matter was received, according to the resolution. “However, on August 11 and 12, the EAC recommended that approval for undertaking the EIA can be given to Kerala,” the resolution said, adding that this was contrary to the directions of the Water Resources Ministry in 2013 and the EAC’s stand in March 2016.”
Also, the EAC had said the Tamil Nadu government had not responded to any of the letters sent by the Environment Ministry, which “is contradictory to the truth.”
All political parties extended support to the resolution. DMK deputy leader in the Assembly Duraimurugan said an all-party delegation could meet the Prime Minister and defend the State’s interest.
The resolution was passed unanimously by voice vote.
