Thursday, March 16 2006 15:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Janata Party today(Mar 16, 2006) said that the amendment to the Irrigation and Water Conservation Act by Kerala, in a bid to 'nullify' the Supreme Court's directive to the state to increase the height of the Mullaiperiyar dam, had no legal value and was not legally binding on Tamil Nadu.

"No state can pass an act against another", Janata Party President Dr Subramanian Swamy told reporters here.

He said the act was a 'betrayal' of the promise given byformer Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran to then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, the late M G Ramachandran, that the water level would be restored to its full capacity of 152 feet, once repairs were completed.

Swamy said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was duty bound to direct the engineers to facilitate raising of the water level, following the Supreme Court order.

To a question on the Kerala Government's contention that raising the water level could endanger the safety of people in the Mullaiperiyar area, he said only experts could determine the strength of the dams.

He also criticised DMK President M Karunanidhi for writing to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Sing, seeking his intervention in the issue.