150-yr-old lease for 999 years a scam, Maharaja forced to sign deal: Historians
Nearly 150 years after the signing of the agreement between the then princely State of Travancore and the Madras Presidency to build the Mullaperiyar dam, a controversy has erupted over the tenancy and lease terms. Legal experts and historians have expressed reservations and doubts over the 999-year-long lease agreement signed on October 29, 1886 between the British-ruled Madras Presidency and the State of Travancore.
“There is a major scam behind the drafting and signing of the Mullaperiyar dam agreement,” P Sujathan, a seasoned scribe-turned-historian told The Pioneer. There are no lease and tenancy agreements anywhere in the world that hold valid for 999 years.
“The Mullaperiyar agreement is for 999 years and this itself is shrouded in mystery and secrecy. The then Maharaja is on record telling his Diwan that he was forced to sign the dotted line with his own blood,” said Sujathan, who studied the comprehensive history of the Mullaperiyar dam.
Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, former Kerala Minister for Water Resources and Forests, who had led the State in many of the discussions held with his Tamil Nadu counterparts, said that then Maharaja Sree Mulam Thirunal Rama Varma was forced to sign the agreement at gunpoint by the British rulers.
“The signatory for Travancore was KKV Rama Aiyangar who would have hoodwinked the Maharaja by tampering the figure of 99 years with 999 years. You should understand that Aiyangar was from Madras and it was natural that his loyalty was more towards his native State,” said Sujathan.
John Peruvanthanam, environmentalist who has dedicated his life to be with the people staying on the banks of Periyar, too, has his own doubts over the authenticity of the agreement. “Nowhere in the world have we come across any such agreement. There are many missing links in this agreement. EMS Namoodirippad and VR Krishna Iyer were from outside Travancore. Their loyalty was elsewhere,” said John. Both Namboodirippad and Iyer were from British Malabar which was part of Madras Presidency.
The dam which was constructed with a mixture of surky and lime has outlived its utility and it should have been decommissioned long back, according to Sujathan and John. Even KT Thomas, a highly respected former judge of the Supreme Court, who is highly critical of persons skeptical about the safety of Mullaperiyar dam, too expressed his apprehensions. “The water level should be brought to a safe level, may be 130 ft or even less. This dam is not going to stay safe for another 100 years. In the eventuality of the bursting of the dam, it is the population of Kerala that is going to be affected,” said Thomas. He said that the 2018 deluge in Kerala as a result of the opening of the Idukki reservoir was just a warning signal,” he said.
Tamil Nadu would lose nothing if the Mullaperiyar dam caves in, but it is Kerala which would literally disappear from the face of the earth, said John. The cost of construction of the dam which was built in Kerala’s territory was borne by the Government of Travancore. “More than 8,500 acres of reserve forest was slaughtered to build the dam and the entire woods were exported to Britain from the ports of Madras and Thoothukudi,” said Sujathan.
Radhakrishnan and John said the only option to save Kerala from a “water bomb” that is ticking live is to bring down the water level below the 130 feet and dig a tunnel through which Tamil Nadu could draw water as per its requirement.
