Monday, September 16, 2013

The dispute between Kerala and Tamil Nadu over Mullaperiyar dam – Aftermath of the Divide and Rule policy of British being continued?



Bearing in mind the gravity of chaos and dispute between the Mullaperiyar dam, I am forced to believe that the Divine and Rule Policy of British Kingdom is still prevailing in India thought they left our country 67 years back. The ripples of evil regime of British Kingdom are still prevailing in India as well as the good deeds that they had initiated in our country though it was for the easy domination over Indians.

British largely followed the Divide and Rule policy; otherwise it was impossible for them to conquer and rule India. It should be noted that Lord Macaulay's address to the British Parliament on 2nd February 1835 about uncolonized India that “I do not think we would ever conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation, which is her spiritual and cultural heritage.”  

It sounds totally absurd that a dam which could survive for a maximum period of 100 years is leased out for 999 years. Who knows whether it was just for 99 years in the original document and later it was manipulated by the people who are the great beneficiaries of this dam. The Mullaperiyar Dam is a stonework gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 881m above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India

The irony is that the 116-year-old Mullaperiyar dam located in Kerala is being operated by the government of Tamil Nadu which signed a 999-year lease agreement with the former British government to irrigate farmland on its side. Kerala argues that the dam is too old and dilapidated and it is water bomb posing immense danger to millions of people living in the region and that it needs to be decommissioned and it is a move opposed by Tamil Nadu.
Kerala has pointed out the unfairness in the 1886 lease agreement and has challenged the validity of this agreement as India became Independent and turned into Union of India all the agreement made during the colonized India automatically gets void. However, safety concerns posed by the 116 year old dam to the safety of the people of Kerala in the event of a dam collapse even due to a minor earthquake have been the focus of disputes from 2009 onward. Kerala's proposal for decommissioning the dam and construction of a new dam has been challenged by Tamil Nadu. The fear of Tamil Nadu is that once the existing dam is decommissioned and a new one is built the lease agreement would be automatically renewed and the state will have to pay revised tariff for water. Kerala is even ready to build a new dam at its own expense but Tamil Nadu does not agree to that.  

Kerala does not object giving water to Tamil Nadu. Their main cause of objection is the dam’s safety as it is as old as 116 years. Increasing the level would add more pressure to be handled by already leaking dam. Tamil Nadu wants the 2006 order of Supreme Court be implemented so as to increase the water level to 142 feet (43 m). 

It is not Kerala’s burden to store the water for Tamil Nadu in Kerala, if the Tamil Nadu wants water, let them find ways to store it. Kerala has to give water to Tamil Nadu at its own risk. Mullaperiyar is a water bomb and any time it could be exploded and the aftermath of which would be lethal. What guarantee Tamil Nadu has to furnish on the safety of the dilapidated dam and if something goes wrong will Tamil Nadu would be able to repay the loss? They are playing politics at the cost of the life of Keralites and let us wish and pray that Supreme Court verdict shall bring an amicable solution.     

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