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NT Bureau
Chennai, Jan 3:

        Even as some sections of the media and the politicos are sold out on the idea of interlinking of rivers in India, State Public Works and Irrigation Minister Durai Murugan today poured cold water over the 'grand plan' by suggesting that it maybe actually a chimera.

        Talking at a conference here in Anna University, the Minister, generally known for his off-the-cuff but honest assessment of situations, opined that interlinking of national rivers was not possible, as there were many unresolved disputes over sharing of river water amongst the States.

        Citing the Mullaiperiyar issue as an example he said, 'despite the Supreme Court verdict to raise the storage height of the dam to 142 feet, the Kerala government still maintained that present dam was weak. 'Interlinking of water would be possible only if there is a benevolent dictatorship in power,' he said.

        'In 25 years, Tamilnadu would face water scarcity due to the (wasteful) approach the populace,' the Minister pointed out and said that water bodies, which should be used for recharging the groundwater during summer, were encroached upon or used to dump the waste. 'Awareness about conserving water resources should be taken seriously especially among the farmers,' he added.

        Elsewhere at the Mullaiperiyar dam site itself, officials of Tamilnadu and Kerala have conducted separate inspections, a day after a portion of its parapet wall was found damaged.

        A Tamilnadu team, including Uthamapalayam Tashildar Murugavel, dam Superintendent Sundarajan and other officials, inspected the damaged portion of the dam yesterday.

        Theni district collector Har Sahay Meena sent a report to State Government after the team's visit, official sources said in Theni today.

        The Kerala team comprising Idukki RDO Vijayakumar and Kumili Executive Officer Vijayakumar Nair visited the dam site and inspected the damaged wall.

        The team would submit its report to Kerala Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran, they said.

        The parapet wall was found damaged on Monday. Tamilnadu Chief Minister yesterday sought deployment of Central forces for the security of the dam, a demand strongly opposed by the Kerala government.

        Back in Chennai, the mood of the government over the Mullaiperiyar dam issue is becoming decidedly aggressive.

        PMK supremo Dr S Ramadoss who met Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today, later told newsmen that he (Karunanidhi) had told him that there was no more talks were possible with the Kerala government on the dam issue.

        In other words, the State government looks all set to move the Supreme Court again on the issue.