Why didn’t DMK govt. obtain permits from Kerala authorities for Mullaperiyar maintenance, asks EPS

AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday condemned the ruling DMK government for allegedly failing to obtain permission from the Forest Department of Kerala before transporting construction material to carry out the annual maintenance work at Mullaperiyar dam. In a statement, Mr. Palaniswami said every year, the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department takes up the maintenance of Mullaperiyar dam, which is the source of drinking water and irrigation for people living in Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivaganga, and Ramanathapuram districts of the State. However, the ruling DMK government is said to have not obtained the same, and as a result, two lorries carrying construction material from Tamil Nadu were stopped at Vallakadavu in Kerala recently, Mr. Palaniswami said. Though authorities from Tamil Nadu said they had obtained clearance from the Public Works Department of Kerala to transport the construction material, the Forest Department of the neighbouring State stopped the lorries, he said, adding that it is highly condemnable that the ruling government had not obtained the necessary permits from all the authorities concerned.