Lived 2.5 times lifetime; no need for urgency: SC on Mullaperiyar
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New Delhi: In a case regarding the safety concerns about the Mullaperiyar Dam in Kerala, the Supreme Court pronounced on Tuesday that the dam had already stood intact for 130 years and could continue for another two years. The court was hearing a plea demanding an urgent hearing on apprehensions of a dreaded break of the dam, the court dispelled the plea, even after noting that the dam only had a life of 50 years.
The court reasoned that the dam stood for 130 years even after its stipulated life was 50, and therefore, it could continue another couple of years without issues. The court of Justices Hritesh Roy and SVN Bhatti noted that there is no need for urgent attention to its safety.
Justice Roy even likened the petitioner’s apprehension of a dam break to the fear of the Gauls in the comic Asterix that the sky would fall upon them, Live Law reported.
Justice Roy said that 130 monsoons have passed since the dam was constructed, and only a few have passed. He said that he had lived in Kerala, where people constantly fear about the break of the dam. The dam has outlived 2.5 times of its life. He was in Kerala for 1.5 years while his co-judge Justice Bhatti for 4.5 years, he said.
The petitioner had informed the court that the dam’s lif was just 50 years, now it reached 130 years and 15 lakh people are living in the state with the constant dread of its break as it will destroy them in such a scenario.