District Collector Sheeba George convened a high-level meeting of officials of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Police and other departments on Saturday at the collectorate and reviewed the security of the hydel dams in the district.
The meeting decided to conduct a strict inspection of the dam premises. Initiatives have already started to fix more CCTV surveillance cameras around the dam premises, and steps have been taken to strengthen the fencing around the dam area. The meeting also decided to fix notice boards on dam premises to provide awareness among tourists.
Idukki District Police Chief V. U. Kuriakose said that the meeting mainly discussed the security of the Idukki dam.
“We will conduct a joint inspection with all departments and find the present security lapses. After finding the lapses we will take further steps to avoid such incidents,” said Mr. Kuriakose.
Idukki District Police Chief V. U. Kuriakose, Deputy Superintendent of Police Jilson Mathew among others, attended the meeting.
A major security breach occurred in the Idukki Dam on July 22. An Ottappalam resident had entered the dam site and allegedly placed locks on the earthing strips of eight high-mast lights on the Cheruthoni and Idukki dams and poured some liquid on the wire rope of the dam shutters.