TN not up for confrontation with Kerala in Mullaperiyar issue: Minister

Chennai, Nov 8 Tamil Nadu Water Resources Minister S. Durai Murugan on Tuesday said that the M.K. Stalin-led government is not up for confrontation with Kerala on the latter's decision to freeze an order for sanctioning the felling of trees at the Mullaperiyar dam site.

Murugan had led a team of five Ministers and a few legislators to the Mullaperiyar site and requested the Kerala government to permit the felling of trees in the area.

After the visit, the Kereala government ordered the removal of 15 trees which was signed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Bennychen Thomas.

Stalin had thanked the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government for the approval.

However, this did not go down well with the opposition parties in Kerala forcing the Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran to release a statement citing that the request was sanctioned by the PCCF without consulting him, the state's Water Resources Minister, or even Vijayan.

Even as Murugan assured Kerala of the Mullaperiyar dam's safety, Saseendran, while talking to , said: "How is it possible for an official to take such an important decision without the consent and knowledge of the concerned Ministers and the Chief Minister? It is hard to believe that the PCCF and Chief Wildlife Warden of Kerala could pass such an order permitting Tamil Nadu to remove 15 trees without the knowledge and consent of the concerned Kerala ministers."

Doubting the sanctity of such an administration, he added: "What kind of an administration is that? The order did not only sanction the removal of 15 trees but has specifically marked and even named the trees to be removed. This cannot happen without the consent and knowledge of the concerned ministers."

Reacting to this, Murugan said that the sudden volte-face of the Kerala ministers was due to the pressure exerted by the opposition.

Opposition parties in Kerala are already up in arms against the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government with the state Congress President K. Sudhakaran demanding the resignation of Saseendran.

He also demanded a judicial inquiry into the whole issue.

The BJP state president, K. Surendran, also lashed out at Saseendran and demanded his resignation at the earliest.

In another jolt to the ruling LDF, the second-largest coalition partner in the front, the CPI-M has also come out against the order.

Vazhoor Soman, the MLA from Peerumedu constituency, said: "The state government has to be more cautious before passing such an order and action be taken against those behind such a letter."