Mandya: MP Sumalatha sends red warning as KRS dam stairway wall collapses

Mandya: More than 30 stones under the stairway wall of Krishna Raja Sagara dam came loose and fell off further raising concern over the safety of the dam on Sunday night. It is said that the heavy rain in the area for the past 2-3 days caused collapse of the stones.

But locals attributed the damage to the unabated stone mining in Baby betta, just 11 km, from the reservoir.

The stair leads to the garden and statute of Goddess Cauvery.

The incident created panic among nearby villagers. The Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited (CNNL) officials rushed to the spot and inspected the damage. CNNL superintendent engineer Vijaya Kumar said that there was nothing to worry and assured that "the reservoir is 100 percent safe". He said due to the work taken up in the area and incessant rains some stones collapsed after mudslide. He said the entry of tourists to stairs was banned for many years for safety reasons. Mandya MP Sumalatha who raised concern about the reservoir safety due to mining in nearby areas described the incident as a red alert.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, she said that it's not possible to construct such an iconic reservoir in near future. "Therefore it is our responsibility to save it." She alleged that officials were giving false information and urged the State government to take the incident seriously. "KRS may be safe now, but it should be safe in future as well," said the MP.