Archive for category dam reports
J. Jayalalithaa has urged the government to consider the opposition parties
Posted by ganesh in Chennai, Communication, Information, Other, Water, competition, dam reports, government, tamilnadu on April 22nd, 2010
Describing the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government’s actions on river water disputes as detrimental to the state’s interests, AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa has urged the government to consider the opposition parties’ views.
Referring to the government’s decision Wednesday to nominate retired Supreme Court Justice A.R. Lakshmanan to the apex court-constituted five-member committee on the safety of Mullaperiyar dam, Jayalalithaa said Thursday the delay in doing so has benefited Kerala.
Jayalalithaa said the initial rejection of the five-member committee by the government and the belated nomination of a member to the panel has further delayed the case involving Kerala. “The government should consult the opposition parties on important issues affecting the state,” she said.
With the Supreme Court rejecting the government’s “recall petition” – a plea to recall the court’s decision to constitute a five-member committee, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Wednesday announced the government’s decision to nominate a member.
Earlier, when the DMK party’s general council passed a resolution to boycott the committee and the government did not nominate a member, Jayalalithaa had warned that the decision may prove costly for the state.
On Thursday, she recalled her warning that in a case filed by the Tamil Nadu government the absence of a state’s representative in the committee would strengthen Kerala’s position.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the Mullaperiyar dam built under an agreement signed in 1886 between the then Maharaja of Travancore and the British administration.
While the dam is located in Kerala’s Idukki district, it serves Tamil Nadu. Both the states were carved on linguistic basis in 1956 during reorganisation of states after Independence.
In recent years, Tamil Nadu has demanded that the storage capacity of the dam be increased by raising its height from 136 feet (41.5 metre) to 142 feet (43 metre) to meet the increasing water demand for irrigation.
In 2006, the Supreme Court gave its order in favour of Tamil Nadu to raise the storage levels in February 2006, the Kerala government passed a law effectively nullifying the judgment in March that year.
Opposing the Kerala law, Tamil Nadu filed a case in the Supreme Court in 2006, which the court, after hearing for nearly three years, referred to a five-member constitution bench.
The bench decided to form a five-member committee headed by former Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand. The court asked both Tamil Nadu and Kerala to nominate one technical expert each to the panel, while the central government was told to nominate two technical experts.
TN nominates representative to Mullaperiyar panel
Posted by ganesh in Chennai, Communication, Departments, Information, Other, Water, competition, dam reports, government on April 21st, 2010
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Wednesday announced that former Supreme Court Justice A.R. Lakshmanan will represent the state on the five-member committee constituted by the apex court to review the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam.
He said in the state assembly: “The Supreme Court declined to entertain the government’s recall petition – the petition to recall the court’s decision to constitute a five-member committee – and the central government requested the state to nominate a member on April 4.”
“After consulting legal experts and considering that the final decision on the Mullaperiyar Dam case is important, the government has decided to participate in the committee. Retired Supreme Court Justice A.R. Lakshmanan will represent the state.”
The ruling DMK had voiced its strong opposition to the panel appointed by the apex court headed by former chief justice of India A.S. Anand to look into all issues related to the dam’s safety and the water storage level.
The court had asked both Tamil Nadu and Kerala, fighting a legal battle over the Mullaperiyar Dam, to nominate one technical expert each as members of the panel, while the central government was to nominate two technical experts.
Condemning the DMK’s opposition to the Supreme Court-formed panel, AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa had then urged the state government to nominate as member a person who can effectively put across the state’s viewpoint on the Mullaperiyar Dam case.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the dam built under an agreement signed in 1886 between the then Maharaja of Travancore and the British administration.
While the dam is located in Kerala’s Idukki district, it serves Tamil Nadu. Both the states were carved on linguistic basis in 1956 during reorganisation of states after Independence.
In recent years, Tamil Nadu has demanded that the storage capacity of the dam be raised from 136 feet (41.5 m) to 142 feet (43 m) to meet the increasing demand of water for irrigation. But Kerala wants a new dam as a recent study done by IIT Roorkee had found that the dam would collapse if a quake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale occurs.
Heavy rain in southern districts including Madurai
Posted by ganesh in Health, Information, Madurai, Other, Rain, Water, dam reports, weather on April 19th, 2010
Many towns in southern districts, including Madurai, Theni and Tirunelveli, received rain on Sunday evening, thus bringing down the mercury level.
The rain was so heavy in Madurai that the inaugural function of the Chithirai exhibition at the Tamakkam Ground had to be hurriedly completed by the dignitaries led by Assembly Speaker R. Avudaiappan and Ministers. Places such as Vadipatti and Nagamalai pudukottai in the outskirts received heavy rain till 7 p.m.
For over an hour, the downpour, accompanied by thunder and lightning, brought in much needed respite from the heat wave.
Power failure was experienced owing to the rain in some parts of the city and its peripheries.
In Tirunelveli, there was a short spell of rain. Paramakudi recorded good rain on Saturday afternoon.
Though there were no rain in Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar and Sivaganga districts, the heat wave had dipped on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, the Public Works Department officials here said that Uthamapalayam in Theni district recorded 32 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m. on Sunday, followed by Thekkadi (28), Shanmuganadi (25), Gudalur (20), Periyar (10) and Vaigai dam (1).
According to Tamil Nadu Agricultural Weather Network website, Bodinaickanur in Theni district recorded 32.5 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours, Paramakudi (51) and Mudukalathur (19.5) in Ramanathapuram district, Radhapuram (15.5), Tenkasi (31) and Vasudevanallur recorded 19 mm rainfall in Tirunelveli district.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko was arrested near Amaravathy check—post
Posted by ganesh in Coimbatore, Departments, Madurai, Other, Political, Water, arrested, dam reports, government, illegal, meeting, police on April 2nd, 2010
MDMK general secretary Vaiko was arrested along with about 100 party workers near Amaravathy check—post, 90 km from here, when they were proceeding to Kerala on Friday to check whether that State government was constructing a dam across Pamba river which also caters to thousands of acres for irrigation in Tamil Nadu.
Earlier, addressing party workers Vaiko said that the reported construction of the dam would deprive water to thousands of farmers in Tirupur district who were dependent on the river for irrigation.
If need arose, his party would block supply of essential commodities being transported to Kerala from Tamil Nadu if it continued with it efforts to construct the dam.
Supreme court rejected TN plea against an Mullaperiyar’s dam safety
Posted by ganesh in Chennai, Communication, Court, Information, dam reports, government, tamilnadu on March 30th, 2010
The Supreme court on Monday rejected Tamil Nadu government’s plea against an Empowered Committee on Mullaperiyar’s dam safety, headed by the former Chief Justice of India A S Anand, and said it (the committee) would start functioning from April 30.
After hearing senior counsel K Parasaran and Harish Salve for Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments respectively, a five-judge Constitution Bench, in a brief order said: “In our view, no ground has been made
out for recall of our order. Accordingly the application is dismissed.”
The Bench included Justices D K Jain, B Sudershan Reddy, Mukundakam Sharma, R M Lodha and Deepak Verma. The Bench also took strong exception to the Centre’s application seeking a modification of the
order to the effect that the committee’s expenses be shared by both States, and not by the Centre.
“It is shocking to say that the Centre has no funds to bear the expenses. It is an order passed by the Supreme Court and the Centre filing such an application is never heard off,” said Justice Jain.
DMK M K Stalin challenged AIADMK Jayalalithaa to Hogenakkal water project
Posted by ganesh in Communication, Departments, Dharmapuri, Information, Political, Water, dam reports, government, modification on March 24th, 2010
Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister and DMK treasurer M K Stalin on Tuesday challenged AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa to prove her charges with regard to the Hogenakkal water project.
Campaigning for his party candidate P N P Inbasekaran in Pennagaram constituency, which is facing a byelection March 27, Stalin said he would quit politics if Jayalalithaa proved her charges. “And if she failed to prove them, she should quit politics”, he said.
Stating that the former Chief Minister was elected from Bargur in the combined district of Dharmapuri, Stalin said she never visited Pennagaram and did nothing for the people of the constituency.
On Monday, Jayalalithaa launched her campaign at Kurumpatti hamlet, where she charged the ruling DMK with “failing to implement” the Hogenekkal water scheme. “There is no progress in the project after the laying of foundation stone,”
Standing paddy crop on 4,000 acres under the Vaigai third reach irrigation system
Posted by ganesh in Agriculture, Communication, Departments, Information, Manamadurai, Other, Water, dam reports, government, programme on March 23rd, 2010
Standing paddy crop on 4,000 acres under the Vaigai third reach irrigation system to the left of the main canal of Parthibanur regulator has started withering for lack of water. The Melanettur and T Pudukkottai canals in Manamadurai panchayat union get their supply of water from the third reach irrigation system of river Vaigai.
Though these canals are at the border of Sivaganga district, they get their water only when water is released from the Parthibanur regulator at the border of Ramanathapuram district, for irrigation of lands in that district.
When water was released from river Vaigai in December last year for irrigating lands in Ramanathapuram district, water started flowing in the Melanettur and T Pudukkottai canals. Making use of this water, the farmers in Melanettur and T Pudukkottai raised paddy on 4,000 acres. But due to failure of rains and water not being released in Vaigai, paddy crop started withering in many areas.
In some villages, there was no water even for transplanting paddy saplings from the nurseries. Most of the farmers in state of distress, said that they were not even cutting the dried paddy stalks but were letting them remain as fodder for cattle.
They also said that they were facing unprecedented losses due to lack of water.said that this was being.
CM, Tamil Nadu would never give up its rights over the Mullaperiyar dam.
Posted by ganesh in Chennai, Information, Other, Political, dam reports, meeting on March 20th, 2010
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday said that Tamil Nadu would never give up its rights over the Mullaperiyar dam.
Speaking to reporters after presiding over the DMK MLAs’ meeting held at Anbagam in Chennai, he said, “Farmers are not facing any crisis immediately. That does not mean that we remain unperturbed. Our
concern is that we should not create any adverse situation for the farmers by giving up our rights over the dam.”
The DMK president said he had decided to campaign for the Pennagaram byelection and added: “I have visited Pennagaram many times to propagate the ideas of the DMK. Now I don’t want to disappoint the
people of the constituency.”
To a question on the AIADMK MLAs coming to the Assembly in black shirts, he said they could have foreseen that their leader Jayalalithaa’s application in the Supreme Court seeking an interim stay on the proceedings in the special court in Bangalore would be dismissed.
He also took a dig at the PMK’s allegation that the budget was disappointing. “The PMK has a lot of disappointments and I could not help it,” said the Chief Minister.
DMK government, which is a strong votary of State autonomy
Posted by ganesh in Chennai, Communication, Court, Information, Other, dam reports, government on March 19th, 2010
The Tamilnadu government today said it had filed an interlocutory petition before the Supreme Court seeking to recall its order constituting an Empowered Committee on the Mullaperiyar dam issue.
The DMK government, which is a strong votary of State autonomy, also asked the Centre to formulate schemes in consultation with State governments and allow them to modify plans according to their needs.
Presenting the Budget for the year 2010-11, Finance Minister K Anbazhagan said the apex court, in its 27 February, 2006 judgment had held that the Mullaperiyar Dam was safe for raising the water level from 136 feet to 142 feet.
However, with a view to preventing the implementation of this judgment, the Kerala government resorted to a legislative amendment.
‘After hearing the petition filed by Tamilnadu to declare the legislative amendment unconstitutional, the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court had on 18 February this year ordered constitution of an Empowered Committee under the Chairmanship of former Chief Justice of India A S Anand’, he noted.
Under these circumstances along with the fact that the Supreme Court’s had passed its judgment on 27 February, 2006 after considering all relevant aspects, the State government was of the view that the Supreme Court’s 18 February order constituting the Empowered Committee requires to be recalled.
‘Hence, an interlocutory petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on March 3 this year praying for the recall of its order and that the court may pass appropriate orders to continue its hearing in this case’, he added.
Dwelling on more power for States, Anbazhagan said, ‘We have been consistently urging the Union government to give their due rights to the State governments, which are serving the people by being closer to them and to refrain from the tendency of enacting laws that take away the powers from the State governments in respect of subjects in the concurrent list such as teacher training, higher education.’
He opposed the move to constitute a National Commission for Higher Education. On the 13th Finance Commission report, he welcomed the increase in share of States in the shareable net tax revenue of the Centre, but regretted that the shares of southern States, which had successfully implementing welfare schemes of the Centre, had been reduced.
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