NHRC defers hearing on Mullaperiyar issue till March

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today deferred till March hearing on the Mullaperiyar Dam issue, saying it will wait till the Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee submits its report.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday deferred till March hearing on the Mullaperiyar Dam issue, saying it will wait till the Supreme Court-appointed empowered committee submits its report.

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The decision was taken at a meeting of the full commission of the NHRC on the dam issue, a senior NHRC official said.

"The Commission has decided to wait till the empowered committee submits its report on February 29," the official said.

The NHRC has last week decided to refer the case to the Full Commission following a representation by Kerala MPs.

The Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala's Idukki district has been a sparring point for the state with Tamil Nadu for quite some time now. While Tamil Nadu wants to increase the water-level in the reservoir, Kerala has been insisting that it be reduced from the current 136 feet to 120 feet.

Kerala is willing to construct a new dam for supplying water to Tamil Nadu, which is opposing the move concerned over losing control over the functionality of the dam.

Various groups in Kerala had been arguing that the dam cannot withstand higher magnitude earthquakes and posed a threat to lives and properties of over three million people in Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts of the state.