Mullaperiyar: Tamil Nadu opposes EIA study for new dam
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New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government Thursday moved the Supreme Court against the Kerala government's decision to conduct an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) study as the first phase of constructing a new dam in Mullaperiyar.
The Tamil Nadu government, in its plea, argued that the Kerala’s move was in breach of the earlier verdict of the Supreme Court in the case.
The National Board for Wildlife under the ministry of environment and forests had cleared the Kerala government's proposal for an environment impact assessment study for a new Mullaperiyar dam.
The Supreme Court had, in May last year, allowed Tamil Nadu to raise the storage level to 142 feet and later to 152 feet after completion of maintenance work.
The court had ruled that the existing dam was "strong enough" and that the need for a new dam did not arise.
Mullaperiyar dam is located within the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the safety of the dam.
