Kerala, TN MPs clash in Parl over Mullaperiyar row

In the Lok Sabha, Idukki member P T Thomas (Cong) and Kottayam member Jose K Mani (KC-M) raised the issue during Zero Hour.

They sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "immediate intervention" and wanted an all party MPs' delegation be visit "ground zero" to study the situation.

The issue led to noisy scenes towards the fag end of the day and the House had to be adjourned till on Thursday.

Amid protests from MPs from Tamil Nadu, Thomas said the area where the 116-year old dam is located witnessed 26 earth quakes since July 26 and "tens of thousands of people are on streets" in four districts of Kerala fearing that it will collapse.

Referring to a study conducted by IIT-Roorkee, Thomas said an earthquake measuring 5 to 6.5 can shake the area and cause damage to the structure.

"It is estimated that more than 35 lakh people of Idukki and adjoining districts will be affected if anything happens to the Mullaperiyar Dam," he said as AIADMK and DMK members continued their protests.

Mani said an all party delegation must be sent to Mullaperiyar to study the reality about the dam constructed in 1885.

As the uproar continued, the House was adjourned for the day.

In the Rajya Sabha too, members from Kerala and Tamil Nadu clashed over the Dam controversy and sought the Centre's intervention in resolving the contentious issue.

The matter was raised by AIADMK leader V Maitreyan during Zero Hour.