Thiruvananthapuram, 21 June (H.S.):The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has reconstituted the independent expert committee tasked with conducting a Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation (CDSE) of the Mullaperiyar Dam, replacing Kerala’s representative on the panel.

T.K. Sivarajan, a former Chief Engineer of the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Kerala’s nominee on the expert committee, has been removed from the panel. In his place, the NDSA has appointed Prof. M.L. Sharma, a noted dam safety and earthquake engineering expert from Uttar Pradesh.

According to an order issued by the Authority, Sivarajan is no longer available to serve on the committee due to personal reasons. The Centre stated that the change was made following his inability to continue as a member. However, the decision has drawn attention in Kerala as the state’s representative has been replaced by an expert from outside the state.

Prof. Sharma is a professor in the Department of Earthquake Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and heads the International Centre of Excellence for Dams. He is widely regarded as an expert in dam safety, structural engineering and seismic assessment.

The expert committee was originally constituted on January 6 this year under the provisions of the Dam Safety Act, 2021, to undertake a comprehensive safety review of the century-old Mullaperiyar Dam. The committee is responsible for assessing the structural stability, hydrological safety and overall condition of the dam.

Former CWC official Balraj Joshi continues as the chairman of the panel. Other members include Gopal Dhawan, Gulshan Raj and N. Sivakumar. The NDSA clarified that apart from the change in membership, all other terms and conditions of the January 6 order remain unchanged.

Copies of the revised order have been forwarded to the Additional Chief Secretary of Kerala and the Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department, reflecting the continued involvement of both states in the sensitive and long-standing Mullaperiyar dam issue.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman