The new boat at Thekkadi.
A new fibre made boat on Tuesday arrived here from Kerala to facilitate officials of the Tamil Nadu government to conduct inspection of Mullaperiyar dam.The boat, christened Kannagi, which was designed by a private company in Kerala, was off-loaded with the help of two cranes. Officials said the test run would be conducted soon, and after completeing formalities, the boat would be commissioned.Until now, the officials went on a boat from Thekkadi or travelled by road through Vallakadavu forest by jeep. Since the forest was a protected area, the Forest Department in Kerala had to give permission for going by road. The last time the Tamil Nadu government purchased a boat was in 1982, which was replaced in 2013. There are two boats, Tamizhannai and Jalaratna. The existing boat has a capacity of 27 HP and can accommodate 21 persons.With Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu and Congress in Kerala emerging victorious in the recently concluded Assembly elections, officials felt that the relationship between the two States would be cordial and seeking administrative approvals mught not be cumbersome.Meanwhile, farmers associations in Cumbum Valley hoped that they would explore the possibility of enhancing the storage level of the dam to 152 feet. At present, the apex court has appointed a supervisory committee, which carries out periodic inspections of the dam. The permissible storage in the reservoir is 142 feet. Published - June 30, 2026 07:55 pm IST
