I am waiting for PMs call, says Chandy

KOZHIKODE: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that he did not travel to New Delhi to discuss the Mullaperiyar issue because he had faith in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Speaking at the inauguration of a seminar at the Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (CWRDM) near here on Monday, Chandy said that a team led by him and consisting of his Cabinet colleagues had succeeded in convincing the Prime Minister and Central Water Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal of the validity of Kerala’s stand on the issue. “We held discussions with them and other officials and they were very receptive to our stand. I am expecting a call from the Prime Minister any time,” he said.He said that Tamil Nadu should realise the fact that a new dam would have to be built at Mullaperiyar some day. “Though the agreement is for 999 years, it is fairly obvious that the dam will not stand for that long. If not today, tomorrow the new dam will have to be built. And by doing it today we would be ensuring the safety of the people of Kerala,” he said.He also said that the Mullaperiyar issue was different from other inter-state water sharing disputes in the country because there was no disagreement over giving water to Tamil Nadu. “We understand the importance of water from Mullaperiyar to farmers in Tamil Nadu and we are willing to give them the same amount of water from the new dam as we are giving now. Our slogan has been ‘Water for Tamil Nadu and Safety for Kerala’,” he said.