Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 7:
Kerala Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Wednesday said he was seriously considering holding talks with his Tamil Nadu counterpart C Joseph Vijay on the long-pending Mullaperiyar dam issue, even as official-level discussions between the two states were underway.
Responding to reporters’ queries on reports that Tamil Nadu was planning to raise the water level in the century-old dam, Satheesan said the issue remained under dispute.
“Official-level talks are already underway. We are seriously considering a meeting at the CM level as well,” Satheesan said.
Built in 1895, the Mullaperiyar dam has long been a bone of contention between Tamil Nadu, which owns and operates the dam, and Kerala, where it is located.
While Tamil Nadu has consistently maintained that the dam is structurally safe and has sought to raise the water level, Kerala has repeatedly expressed concerns over the safety of the century-old structure and has been demanding the construction of a new dam near the existing one.