Thiruvananthapuram:The Union government has asked the Kerala government to submit a fresh nomination for its representative in the Independent Panel of Experts set up to carry out the comprehensive safety evaluation of the Mullaperiyar dam, state Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph said on Thursday.
According to the minister, the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti informed the state that it should nominate a new expert for inclusion in the panel.
Joseph said the move came after he wrote to Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil and the Kerala government's Additional Chief Secretary writing to the Secretary of the Ministry of Jal Shakti objecting to the unilateral removal of T R Shivaraj, who had been representing Kerala in the dam safety evaluation process.
The minister said the Centre had now initiated steps to seek a new nomination from Kerala.
He added that the Kerala government would immediately nominate a suitable expert for inclusion in the central committee.
Kerala MPs met Patil and wrote letters to him after Shivaraj, who represented Kerala on the panel evaluating the safety of the Mullaperiyar dam, was removed and replaced by a member from another state.