New Delhi, Oct 5 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Friday declined to accept any fresh material other than what has been submitted by the expert panel on the controversial Mullaperiyar Dam row between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
A five-judge constitution bench of the apex court said it would not accept any fresh material as otherwise the entire process would be unending.
A bench comprising Justices D K Jain, R M Lodha, H L Dattu, C K Prasad and A R Dave adjourned the matter till November 5, when it would fix the date for final hearing on the contentious issue.
The bench made the observation after senior counsel V Giri, appearing for Kerala submitted that the expert committee had collected fresh material on the basis of which it had given a report certifying the safety of the century old dam.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu are locked in a dispute over the dam located in Idduki District. The dam and the river are located in Kerala, but the dam is controlled and operated by Tamil Nadu. The safety of the dam has been a matter of concern and a point of dispute between the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
While Tamil Nadu, the custodian of the structure, wants to increase the water level in the reservoir, Kerala has been insisting that it be reduced from the current 136 feet to 120 feet.
Kerala apprehends that this past-expiry date dam could crash and cause untold destruction in the state.
Kerala is arguing for the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar in place of the existing one, which is being opposed by Tamil Nadu. (ANI)