By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Saturday requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order the deletion of objectionable clauses in the Dam Safety Bill 2010 so that the control over the maintenance of the dam is not taken away from the state owning it.
In a letter to Singh Saturday, the text of which was released to the media here, the chief minister referred to her earlier letter dated 29.7.2011 where she had objected to various clauses of the bill. Jayalalithaa said: “I am told that the Standing Committee on Water Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources have not considered the objection of my Government to sub-clauses 26(1), (2), (3) and (4) and clause 13 of the draft Dam Safety Bill, 2010.”
“My Government’s apprehensions are genuine and if they are not addressed, it would be tantamount to taking away the control over the maintenance of the dam from the State which owns the dam, consequently affecting hundreds of farmers and agricultural production,” she said.
According to the provisions of the proposed bill, all specified dams should fall under the jurisdiction of the state dam safety organisation (SDSO) or state dam safety cell (SDSC) of the state in which the dams are located.
The SDSO or SDSC will be responsible for the dam inspections, analysis of information, recommendation reports regarding safety status and remedial measures to be undertaken to improve dam safety.
The proposed bill states that full cooperation should be extended by the concerned non-state dam safety organisation or the non-state dam safety cell and the owner of the specified dam.
Jayalalithaa in her earlier letter had said the bill provisions will interfere with the safety and functioning of the dams owned by Tamil Nadu.
“Four dams, namely Mullai Periyar dam, Parambikulam Dam, Thunakadavu Dam and Peruvaripallam Dam are owned, operated and maintained by Tamil Nadu, whereas these dams are situated in the territory of Kerala,” she said, adding that if this bill becomes law, it will be detrimental to Tamil Nadu as the control of these four dams would go automatically to Kerala in whose territory the dams are located.
Jayalalithaa had suggested modification to the provision to the effect that the dam inspections, analysis of information, recommendation reports regarding safety status and remedial measures to be undertaken to improve dam safety should fall under the jurisdiction of SDSO or SDSC of the state that owns, operates and maintain the dams.
She also suggested inclusion of a new provision to the effect that dam maintenance officials/personnel shall have the right to enter into the forests and wildlife sanctuary area to carry out dam safety, maintenance and rehabilitation measures.