14 Dec 2011 - QA 6

Guruji, in Kerala 40 lakh people are worried about Mullaperiyar dam. Similarly in Tamil Nadu also, people want water from the same Mullaperiyar dam. Because of the threat of the earthquakes and heavy rain people are worried.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I haven’t had the time to study this issue. I want to study it deeply.
Mullaperiyar is not a new dam; it has been there for such a long time. Suddenly, at this time, in this season, why has this come up? I want to go into the details of it before I make any comment.
For the welfare of the people if scientists from Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the central scientists sit across the table and see how we they can find a solution if there is a serious issue, then the executives can easily resolve this matter.

What I would appeal to people of both Tamil Nadu and Kerala is do not engage in any violence or hatred between the people. At this time of the year there are many pilgrimages and a lot of people from Tamil Nadu are going to Kerala and many people from Kerala go to Tamil Nadu to visit temples. These pilgrimages are uniting people and there is national integration happening by these pilgrimages. At this time burning Malayali shops in Tamil Nadu or throwing stones at vehicles from Tamil Nadu in Kerala is totally unacceptable. So I appeal to people from both states to not engage in panic, rumours, activities or demonstrations which would bring any form of violence or disturbance or loss of property to anyone. I request the intellectuals, the geologist, and the scientists to sit together and find a solution. Whether a new dam has to be created, the old dam has to be strengthened or whatever needs to be done, can be done. There is no need to panic about the situation.