23 Dec 2011 Kerala Commentary
Mullapperiyar water and dam issue politicians' trick for survival.
P.S.Remesh Chandran.
Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum.
If a dam is old and leaking heavily, it is safer to decommission it, regardless of its various present uses, rather than take the risk of it collapsing and taking away five districts in a state along with thousands of human lives, houses, cattle, vehicles, bridges, roads, crops and other developments. Tamil Nadu not only takes away water from the dam but makes electricity also out of this water, both totaling to the tune of above 10000 crores. They pay Kerala a meager amount of just below 30 lakh rupees each year as lease. Tamil Nadu knows that even if the present Mulla-Periyar dam is decommissioned and a new one built in its place, they will be given water as before but the amount to be paid to Kerala each year will raise to a realistic 500 crores, conforming to world rates and standards. That is the reason behind Tamil Nadu’s reluctance to acquiesce to the decommissioning of this century-old dam and constructing a new one in its place. It is the one and only reason behind their adamant stand. If someone, be it anyone in India, emphatically says that the dam will never burst and that it is totally safe, are invited to come with family and reside in any village or town beneath the dam for two years. Take this as a challenge. In the national scene, Mullapperiyar has significance. Mullapperiyar issue is a political creation, designed and created to divert attention from a more catastrophic disaster which may one day possibly wipe out the entire people of the sister states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Once this issue is settled or the strife and struggle stops, the Anti-Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant struggle will resume and gain force. If it collapses, the Mullapperiyar Dam will certainly cause the wiping away of three or four districts, but if it one day blows away, the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant will burn out two entire states. After pleasing Russia, our political leaders on the national level want to open and make function the plant noiselessly, that is without protest. As they wished, the people of the two states are fighting against each other, instead of jointly fighting against opening the deadly power plant. That is the trick, cunning and clever treachery of national politics. It is no wonder the Koodankulam struggle went behind the curtain when Mullapperiyar struggle came into the fore. What extremely pleases the orthodox national leaders is that the lower class blacks have again begun to fight each other.
28 May 2012 Kerala Commentary
Poets of the past have written poems describing Madras as a big sister and Kerala as a little sister which was true historically. Kerala’s language and culture developed closely following the Madras language and culture. When the question of assigning classical status to Tamil arose, there was no objection raised from a single Keralite about the ancientness, importance and genuineness of Tamil language. Many Keralites even pointed out that compared to Tamil, Malayalam does not deserve classic status. Tamils easily go to Kerala and find jobs unmolested. When Mullapperiyar water issue arose, Tamil Nadu Government’s response was but different and indecent. If a dam is old and leaking heavily, it is safer to decommission it rather than take the risk of it collapsing and taking away five districts in a state along with thousands of human lives, houses, cattle, vehicles, bridges, roads, crops and other developments. Tamil Nadu not only takes away water from the dam but makes electricity also out of this water, both totaling to the tune of above 10000 crores. They pay Kerala a meager amount of just below 30 lakh rupees each year as lease. Tamil Nadu knows that even if the present Mulla-Periyar dam is decommissioned and a new one built in its place, they will be given water as before but the amount to be paid to Kerala each year will raise to a realistic 500 crores, conforming to world rates. That is the reason behind Tamil Nadu’s reluctance to acquiesce to the decommissioning of this century-old dam and constructing a new one in its place. It is the one and only reason behind their adamant stand. If someone, be it anyone in India, emphatically says that the dam will never burst and that it is totally safe, they are invited to go with family and reside in any of the villages or towns beneath the dam for two years. Take this as a challenge. In the national scene, Mullapperiyar has significance. Mullapperiyar issue is a political creation, designed and created to divert attention from a more catastrophic disaster which may one day possibly wipe out the entire people of the sister states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Once this issue is settled or the strife and struggle stops, the Anti-Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant struggle will resume and gain force. If it collapses, the Mullapperiyar Dam will certainly cause the wiping away of three or four districts, but if it one day blows away, the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant will burn out two entire states. To please the collapsing Russia, our political leaders want to open and make function the plant without protest. As they wished, the people of the two states are fighting against each other, instead of jointly fighting against opening this deadly power plant. It is no wonder the Koodankulam struggle went behind curtain when Mullapperiyar struggle came into fore. What extremely pleases the orthodox national leaders is that the lower class blacks have again begun to fight each other.
28 May 2012 Kerala Commentary
It is true this Mulla-Periyar agreement was executed between Madras Presidency and the Travancore State. But the question is how Tamil Nadu comes into the picture as a party to this agreement which was signed by the King of Travancore and the Secretary of State for the British India Administration. The British Resident of Travancore - Cochin, Mr. John Childe Haninglen signed the document as authorized by the Governor of Fort Saint George at Madras and even this governor was issuing this authorization on behalf of the Secretary of State of British India. Travancore State and British India were the parties to the agreement. The governor of Saint George was only the intermediary in between. And Tamil Nadu is not at all the entire remaining part or continuity of Madras Presidency. It was just that this state and its capital were then known as Madras. Malabar became a part of Kerala and the other regions including Odisha became parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. If the arguments of Tamil Nadu are to be followed, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are the next to claim water from this Presidency River. Only 126 years have passed since the signing of this agreement in 1886 for 999 years. Anything can happen in the next 873 years. Even the river can and may dry up.