VS asks national leaders to visit dam sites

PALAKKAD: The leaders of national parties should visit Mullaperiyar and Idukki dam sites and meet the people there to get a first-hand opinion of the situation prevailing there, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan said here on Sunday.      He told mediapersons that Kerala’s demand for a new dam will be strengthened only if the national parties take a united stand on the issue.  “When political leaders from Kerala meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, the LDF will state that it does not approve the Advocate-General’s stance that the Idukki dam can withstand the water in case the Mullaperiyar dam breaks,” Achuthanandan said. By not taking action against the Advocate-General, the government has  sent a message that it too  has the same view.  “All the governments which ruled Kerala from time to time had maintained that there was a need for constructing a new dam in Mullaperiyar and that the Idukki dam will not be able to withstand the gush of water,” he said.  Therefore it will not be surprising if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asks the Kerala delegation why the Advocate- General had made such a statement before the Kerala High Court.  The stance of the Advocate-General has  only helped weaken Kerala’s demand before the Prime Minister. “Now, even Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is quoting the Advocate- General to buttress her case,” said Achuthanandan. The Opposition Leader said the Idukki dam won’t withstand the influx of water and debris if the Mullaperiyar dam breaks.