AMN / NEW DELHI
The Supreme Court today directed the Centre and the governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to set up three separate committees to exclusively deal with any unpredictable disaster that may occur at the Mullaperiyar dam.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, was hearing a petition seeking a direction to the authorities concerned that a study be conducted by international experts on the issue of safety and life span of the over 180-year-old dam situated in Kerala.
While disposing off the PIL, the apex court clarified that the proposed panels would only deal with the disaster aspect of the dam. It made it clear that the issues relating to safety and life span of the dam would continue to be dealt with by an existing panel, which was set up following the five-judge Constitution bench verdict in 2014.
The PIL had sought decommissioning of the dam on the ground that it has become too old and the right to life of persons residing in the downstream area has been infringed. Over three million residents who live near the dam are in constant fear that any disaster may hit them in the near future.
