Plea for decommissioning dam quashed

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to issue any direction on a plea seeking decommissioning of the 113-year-old Mullaperiyar dam, which allegedly poses a threat to the people of Kerala living in the dam’s vicinity. Unwilling to accept the argument that its existence was a threat to people of the area as the dam, constructed using obsolete technology, has outlived its life, the Bench — headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat — dismissed an application filed by an NGO, Jana Shakti.

Questioning the locus standi of the NGO in filing such an application, the Bench critically remarked, “How is your petition maintainable? It is for the Government of Kerala to take a decision on the issue and it is not interested in the decommissioning.” The Bench, also comprising Justices C K Thakkar and D K Jain, was hearing the suit between the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, for which the dam has been a bone of contention for decades.