A two-member team of the Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee on Mullaperiyar dam dispute will visit the dam site this month to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the claims made by Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The decision to send two members of the five-member committee was taken today when the empowered panel met lawyers representing the two states making representations on their stands and asking it to hear them before submitting its report. Yes,two members (of the committee) will be visiting the Mullaperiyar dam site later this month. The committee will meet again on January 2 and 3 to discuss their findings, said a senior official attached to the committee. The dates of the visit,which are agreeable to the two states,will be decided later this week. The committee,headed by former Chief Justice of India A S Anand,is expected to submit its report on the controversial issue by February. At today's meeting,Kerala submitted a memorandum before the committee stating that frequent tremors in Idduki district,where the 116-year-old structure is located,was causing damage to the dam and that the state should be heard before the report is finalised. Kerala wants that a new dam should be constructed to replace the old structure,claiming that it is essential to prevent a disaster. Tamil Nadu told the panel there was no need for a new dam and that the water level of the existing dam should be raised from the present 136 ft to 142 ft as per a 2006 Supreme Court directive. As both states submitted their viewpoints,the panel is understood to told them that it would hear both sides before arriving at a conclusion. Ramesh Badu,an advocate representing Kerala,said the state submitted a memorandum regarding occurrence of tremors and that the panel agreed to hear it. The panel told us that they have accepted the memorandum and we will be heard, he said. The Supreme Court constituted the five-member empowered committee to study all issues related to Mullaperiyar dam. Umapathy,one of the lawyers representing Tamil Nadu,said the committee has agreed to hear both states,but the date for hearing has not yet been fixed. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are engaged in a row over the dam. While Kerala wants a new dam to be built near the existing structure,Tamil Nadu wants the water level in the dam to be raised to 142 ft.
