CHENNAI: Hardening its stand on the Mullaperiyar dam issue, Tamil Nadu Government today said it will not attend the official-level informal talks being convened by the Centre on Monday."It has already been decided that the Government of Tamil Nadu will not participate in the informal discussion on Mullaiperiyar in New Delhi on December 5," PWD Secretary M Saikumar said in a release quoting the state Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi.Reports said the Water Resources Ministry wanted to use the presence of Tamil Nadu officials, slated to appear before the Mullaperiyar Empowered Committee on Monday, for a meeting with Kerala officials.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday informed Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that he had asked the Water Resources Ministry to arrange an early meeting between officials of the two states to "sort out outstanding issues and allay genuine concerns".Responding to her letter, second in a week, asking him to restrain Kerala from creating a panic over the dam issue, Singh had sought Jayalalithaa's cooperation and hoped that the issue would be sorted out amicably through dialogue. Amid the escalation of the row over the dam in the past few days, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy met the Prime Minister yesterday seeking his intervention for an early solution. AIADMK MPs also met Singh and sought his intervention.The issue has triggered tension in both the neighbouring states with Kerala mounting pressure for building a new dam in place of the century-old reservoir citing recent tremors in Idduki district and rising water level in Mullaperiyar. Tamil Nadu is opposing the move saying there was no danger to the dam which was as good as a new one.Kerala says fears about the weakness of the 116-year-old dam had increased since the area around the site had been shaken by 26 tremors in the last five months alone, a contention rejected by Tamil Nadu.Tamil Nadu has been pressing for increasing the storage level in the dam to 142 feet from 136 feet while Kerala wants the reservoir to be decommissioned. It has sought lowering the water level to 120 feet as an immediate measure in the wake of recent developments.A series of protests have been organised in parts of Kerala, including Idduki district, by political parties and voluntary groups since last week leading to escalation of the row.
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