New Delhi The Supreme Court on Wednesday called for the Centre’s response to a petition over the structural safety of the century-old Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala and sought to know why a committee, which was required to assess the structural safety of dams under the Dam Safety Act of 2021, not formed yet.
Issuing notice to the Centre on a petition filed by advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, who alleged severe threat to the residents of five townships located near the dam in Idukki district, a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant said, “The Central Act must have visualised composition of an expert committee and a periodical assessment by it. If the committee has not done it for 2-3 years, we can ask the Centre to invoke its power under the Act and constitute an expert committee to assess.”
Posting the matter for hearing on January 22, the bench, also comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan, requested Attorney General of India to assist in the matter and take suitable instructions from the National Dam Safety Authority, which is entrusted with the responsibility of assessing safety of specified dams, including Mullaperiyar, under the 2021 Act.
The petitioner informed the court that the Act envisaged the national committee to be constituted within 60 days of it coming into force but has not been done yet. Nedumpara also alleged that the rules to enforce the Act are not in place, posing grave danger to human lives.
{{/usCountry}}The petitioner informed the court that the Act envisaged the national committee to be constituted within 60 days of it coming into force but has not been done yet. Nedumpara also alleged that the rules to enforce the Act are not in place, posing grave danger to human lives.
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