No need for concerns over safety of Mullaperiyar dam currently: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said at the moment, there is no need for any concerns regarding the safety of the over-125-year-old Mullaperiyar dam located in the high-range district of Idukki.

Vijayan also said the stand taken by the state government so far on the issue will continue.

He was responding to reporters’ queries regarding Congress MP Dean Kuriakose reportedly raising safety concerns over the dam in the Lok Sabha.

“There is no need to be concerned with regard to the Mullaperiyar dam at the moment. The stand by the state government on the issue will continue,” Vijayan said.

In the Lok Sabha, Kuriakose had reportedly referred to the dam as a “water bomb” and demanded that it be decommissioned.

The Mullaperiyar dam was built in 1895.

While Tamil Nadu has been maintaining that the dam is “absolutely safe”, Kerala has been vociferous in its demand for a new dam to be built near the existing structure.