Kerala MP Dean Kuriakose calls Mullaperiyar dam a ‘water bomb’, demands decommissioning

New Delhi: Calling the Mullaperiyar dam a ‘water bomb’,  Congress MP Dean Kuriakose in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday demanded its decommissioning. He submitted an adjournment motion notice in the lower house demanding the same.

“The issue requires urgent intervention from the government and should be discussed in the Lok Sabha by suspending all other ongoing business,” Kuriakose stated in his notice.

While speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday, the Idukki MP said that the people of the region want a new dam and that the Central Government should intervene urgently. “The dam is 130 years old. How can you say that such an old construction is totally safe and secure? We demand a new dam,” he said.

“The position taken by the state regarding the Mullaperiyar Dam is ‘new dam and new agreement’. Along with this, the state has also taken the stand that adequate water should be provided to Tamil Nadu. This was passed in the Assembly. But the center is watching the issue without interfering. The center should hold discussions with the Chief Ministers of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Although Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan repeatedly says he will hold discussions with M K Stalin, nothing in this direction has taken place,” Dean said.

On Tuesday, Muslim League MP Haris Beeran demanded that an inspection be conducted by experts to ensure the safety of the Mullaperiyar Dam in Rajya Sabha. 

“Once the inspection is complete, the government should openly declare whether the dam is safe or not. If it is not safe, then the government should initiate steps to build a new dam. The Kerala government has been demanding this for a long time,” Beeran added.