The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam's supervisory committee can be required to perform all statutory tasks until a permanent authority under the Dam Safety Act 2021 is constituted.

The Supreme Court made the remark after the Centre stated that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) established under the Act would be fully operational in a year, whereas a temporary structure might be operational in a month.

The government told a bench led by Justice A M Khanwilkar that the top court may decide to keep the supervisory body, which currently includes representatives from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, in place. The Supreme Court is currently reviewing appeals against the Mullaperiyar Dam, which was erected in 1895 on the Periyar River in Kerala's Idukki region.

"Since you suggest that the supervisory committee can continue, we will say that, in addition to the task assigned under this court's orders, the supervisory committee shall hereafter carry out all statutory functions under this Act until a regular committee is established," the bench, which also included Justices A S Oka and C T Ravikumar, said.

The bench stated that the committee will be in charge of all operations covered by the Act. "It's possible that this will work out. "This is not a typical arrangement," the Supreme Court stated. The bench stated that it would keep track of the guarantee offered on the one-year deadline.

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