Mullaperiyar Dam: SC allows panel to operate till new authority comes into force

The Supreme Court on Friday directed that the supervisory committee constituted by it in 2014 to monitor the safety arrangements of the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam should continue its operations till the National Dam Safety Authority under the Dam Safety Act 2021 comes into effect.

The court endorsed the functioning of the committee and said it was working well. It expanded the panel by adding one technical member each from Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

All powers in relation to the dam will be vested in the committee until the Dam Safety Authority comes into operation, the SC said.

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Both states should comply with the directives and recommendations of the committee. The responsibility for compliance lies with the chief secretaries of the states and any failure in this regard will result in contempt of court and disciplinary action.

Further, the court held that the committee can entertain the applications of local people on the suggestions and threats on the dam safety issue and address the same in a time-bound manner.

The court also directed that the National Dam Safety Authority should be constituted at the earliest. What is passed now is an interim order and the states have been given liberty to approach the court in case of any further conflict.

A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, AS Oka and CT Ravikumar passed the interim order in a batch of writ petitions filed by Kerala-based parties seeking steps to ensure the safety of the dam. On Thursday, the bench had turned down a plea made by Kerala to replace the chairman of the committee.

The bench was against changing the composition of the present committee and said that it will equip the panel with powers under the recently enacted Dam Safety Act 2021.