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Centre To Introduce Dam Safety Bill In Winter Session; Tamil Nadu And Kerala Jittery
Mullaiperiyar dam (Suja Devendra / Image via facebook)
The Central Government is planning to pass the Dam Safety Bill in the winter session of parliament, which will start from 11 December 2018, amid opposition from Tamil Nadu and Kerala that states will lose control over the infrastructure, reports New Indian Express.
The Cabinet approved the Bill drafted by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in June 2018.
The Bill aims to implement a legal and institutional framework for the safety of dams. Proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance are planned to prevent disasters.
“We have not taken away any powers from the states. There are existing bodies at different levels, but they don’t have any statutory or legal shape. We want everybody to be responsible for what they are doing, and if there is a breach, we won’t say that it is a state issue,” said a senior ministry official.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi stating that the Bill will interfere with the rights of states.
If the Bill is enforced, it is mandatory for every state to set up a State Dam Safety Organisation, manned by officers from the field of dam safety.
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