Water level at 152 feet in Periyar dam, promises CM

MADURAI: All steps would be taken to raise the storage level in the Mullaperiyar dam further to 152 feet, chief minister J Jayalalathaa said during a felicitation function in Madurai organized by delta famers, seeking to express their gratitude.
They credited the AIADMK supremo with success in the protracted legal battle that ended in the Supreme Court order permitting the storage level in the dam to be raised to 142 ft from 136ft.Jayalalithaa told farmers from the five delta districts gathered at the venue that she would ensure that storage in the dam would be further raised to 152 feet, its full capacity, once the strengthening work as directed by the Supreme Court was carried out.
Kindling the hope of farmers, jubilant with the government’s legal victory, Jayalalithaaa, in her 30-minute-long speech, detailed the court battle on the issue and said she ensured that Tamil Nadu won its rights after a 37-year-long struggle. “The secret of the success is that I considered it as my own problem because people of Tamil Nadu are my people and I did not keep postponing the issue,” she said.
DMK chief M Karunanidhi came in for flak again for allegedly failing to act on the issue though his party was a constituent of the UPA government for nearly two terms. Even while she was the opposition leader, she goaded the DMK government to work towards sorting out the Mullaperiyar issue, Jayalalithaa said. She narrated parables to emphasise the ‘lethargic attitude’ of the earlier DMK regimes on the issue. She said the 2G spectrum case was a stumbling block that prevented Karunanidhi from fighting for Tamil Nadu’s rights.
The chief minister arrived at the venue after 4 pm even as the crowds swelled, arriving at the venue hours ahead. Appearing relaxed, Jayalalitha keenly listened as one farmer leader after another spoke, lauding her efforts on the Mullaperiyar issue. Among the several ministers who spoke, was a frail-looking farmer, who stole the show with his speech. Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam district secretary A Andi Servai apparently lost his prepared text, but managed to impress the audience by comparing Jayalalithaa’s Mullaperiyar achievement to Lord Krishna helping the five Pandavas in the Mahabaratha epic. Moved by the praise, Jayalalithaa made a reference to his speech while addressing the gathering and complimented him.