Other members of the panel, entrusted with the task of assessing the dam''s safety and submitting a report to the Apex Court included former Supreme Court judges K T Thomas and A R Lakshmanan, nominated by Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively.
The panel members did not speak to the media.
Kerala claims that the lime-and-surkhi dam built during the colonial era is extremely unsafe, posing a grim threat to millions living downstream. The state wants a new dam to be constructed while Tamil Nadu has persistently refused to accept that position.
Officials from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu were present during the visit of the panel.
Kerala is learnt to have reiterated the position that a new dam alone is a way out to resolve the issue and its construction without harming the fragile environment of the area is possible.
As beneficiary of water released from the reservoir, Tamil Nadu had often argued that the present structure could be retained with necessary repairs and timely maintenance.
Initially, the two states had often clashed over the question of raising the reservoir''s maximum water level with Kerala firmly opposing the demand to peg the point beyond 132 feet.
The Committee was set up by the Apex Court following a suit filed by Tamil Nadu with the mandate to study all aspects of the issue, including Kerala''s claim for a new dam.
Kerala had completed a environmental survey on the plan to build a new dam after getting a conditional nod from the central Forest and Environment Ministry.
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