MULLAPERIYAR: The Subject Committee-III of the Kerala Assembly led by Irrigation Minister P J Joseph was denied entry into the gallery of Mullaperiyar dam during its visit on Thursday. Tamil Nadu Government officials in charge of the dam had locked the doors of the gallery and were not present on the premises at the time of the visit."They had given permission to enter the gallery when I visited it last time. But now they may not be willing to let us see the sorry state of seepage,’’ Joseph told reporters. He said he was not aware whether the Tamil Nadu staff were officially intimated of the committee’s visit.Earlier legislative panels which visited the dam have reported that the seepage from the foundation is clearly visible inside the gallery.On Thursday, committee members who walked down the ledge of the main dam could see a major seepage on its 18th block, even as the water level stood at 135.4 feet only. The seepage on the baby dam’s foundation too was clearly evident.The technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court had reported that the baby dam needed repairs. "The Centre can pass the Dam Safety Bill 2010 in a week if they wish, and that would bring all the states, including Tamil Nadu, under the Bill,’’ said Joseph.Joseph and six MLAs, TN Prathapan, Varkala Kahar, Thomas Chandy, G S Jayalal, K Muhamadunni Haji and A M Arif, members of the committee, along with nearly 100 mediapersons reached the dam site at 11.50 am after a 45-minute journey from the Thekkady boat landing. The committee had a short meeting at the Periyar House at Thekkady before the trip.Mullaperiyar cell chairman M K Parameswaran Nair, Idukki Collector E Devdas, senior scientist at the Centre for Earth Science Studies John Mathai, Irrigation chief engineer(inter-state water dispute) P Lathika and other experts briefed the minister and MLAs about the condition of the dam.The team spent nearly one-and-a-half hours at the spot.
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