New police station to guard Mullaperiyar dam

A state-of-the-art police station -- with equipment worth Rs.85 lakh and which will have 196 personnel -- will be set up to beef up security of the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala.

The police station was given the nod by the Kerala government on Thursday after Tamil Nadu raised the security threat issue, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said.

"Even though we do not fear any security threat to the dam, as no central or state agency has pointed out such a thing," Chandy said.

"We decided to beef up security through a state-of-the-art police station exclusively to provide security for the dam as Tamil Nadu brought to the attention of the Supreme Court that there was a security threat to the dam. Hence, we are not taking any chances," he said.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the dam, built under an 1886 accord between the then maharaja of Travancore and the erstwhile British regime.

Though the dam is located in Kerala, it is owned, maintained and operated by Tamil Nadu. - IANS