Chennai, Dec 14 (UNI) Objecting to the Dam Safety Bill introduced
in Lok Sabha on Thursday, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on
Friday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
demanded its withdrawal till Tamil Nadu's genuine concerns were
addressed.
In a Demi-Official letter to Mr Modi, copies of which were released
to the media here, he said the serious concerns of Tamil Nadu have
not been addressed at all by the Centre and a Bill has now been
introduced in the Lok Sabha without considering the views, comments
of the State Governments.
Recalling the June 15 letter written to him and the resolution passed
in the Assembly in this regard, he said he had urged Mr Modi not to
legislate an Act on Dam Safety till such time all the States were
consulted and consensus was evolved.
Mr Palaniswami said Tamil Nadu's main concerns were that the Ist
proviso under Section 23(1) of the Dam Safety Bill, 2018, specifies
that where the specified Dam in one State was owned by another
State, then the National Dam Safety Authority would act as the
State Dam Safety Organization for that particular dam.
'This implies that the dam owning State would have no rights over
the safety and maintenance of the dam located in another State',
he said and pointed out that Tamil Nadu’s Mullaiperiyar, Parambikulam,
Thunakkadavu and Peruvaripallam dams were owned, operated and
maintained by the State Government by virtue of Inter-State
Agreements, but were located in a neighbouring State.
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