Periyar Dam pact terms can't be changed: official

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, MARCH 9. ``It is not possible to change the terms of agreement on the Mullai Periyar Dam'', said Prof. A. Mohanakrishnan, Chairman, Cauvery Technical Cell and adviser to State Government on Periyar Dam issue.

Prof. Mohanakrishnan, who was here today to participate in the meeting of the Engineering Reforms Committee (ERC) in the capacity of a member, told presspersons that the agreement which was for a period of 999 years could not be changed midway.

Earlier, Mr. C. A. Srinivasan, Chairman, ERC, said that the Committee will submit its report regarding the seven terms of references for improving technical efficiency of PWD, to the State Government, by the end of June, 2001. He said that the Committee had so far conducted 20 meetings involving the participation of 22 service associations over the past six months to understand local level problems so as to provide recommendations accordingly.On a reference pertaining to bifurcation of PWD as WRO (Water Resource Organisation) and B.O (Building Organisation), he expressed the opinion of the Department staff that such demarcation would leave no scope for flexibility and however added that the functional responsibilities of the Irrigation Department had been regionalised on the basis of basins, since 1995.The prospect of non-technical personnel dispensing the responsibilities of the Department was ``unpalatable'', he said while articulating the views spelt by engineers during such meetings. Irrigational requirements would be prioritised over fishing, he said to a query.

Stating that the state had to obtain 300-350 tmc water annually to meet the irrigational requirements, he insisted that the responsibilities of making productive use of the available water. Earlier, in a meeting held to elicit the views of farmers and engineers on the terms of references, the farmers complained about the confusion of dates over release of water for irrigation and pointed out that the Department undertook implementation of certain projects even without determining the potential for sustained supply from the water source.

The seven terms of references for which recommendations are to be made include review of the functions of staff at all levels in PWD, analysis of their service-oriented requests, demands and grievances, redefining role, authority, duties and responsibilities of engineers and staff in tune with changing times, reorganising and restructuring the infrastructure of PWD and apportioning staff accordingly besides furnishing views on Information Technology integrated data basis and about facilities relating to machinery and workshop circle in PWD.

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Section  : Southern States
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