Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday assured the Assembly that his government will continue to take steps to get the Dam Safety Bill withdrawn and assert the rights of the State.

Intervening in a debate on the motion of thanks to Governor Banwarilal Purohit for his address to the House, Mr. Palaniswami referred to a number of letters he and his predecessor Jayalalithaa had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the subject since September 2016, and a resolution adopted by the Assembly last June in this regard.

Content of resolution

In his letter t o Mr. Modi last month after the Bill was tabled in the Lok Sabha, the Chief Minister had pointed out that the contents of the Assembly resolution had not been taken into account before tabling the Bill.

Citing a provision of the legislation, he said the State’s four dams – Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Tunakadavu and Peruvarippallam [all located in the territorial limits of Kerala] – would be brought under the proposed National Dam Safety Authority.

A panel comprising representatives of upper and lower riparian States would also be formed. Such a move would interfere with the rights of Tamil Nadu.

Besides, this would be contrary to the Constitution and the principle of federalism. Tamil Nadu’s position had been conveyed through his communication to the PM, Mr. Palaniswami said.