New Delhi, Dec 13 (IANS): The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the central government to respond to the Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) for the security of the Mullaperiyar Dam.

A constitution bench of the apex court headed by Justice D.K. Jain asked the central government to get back to the court with its response by Thursday when the matter would come up for hearing again.

The court asked the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that water level in the dam should not exceed 136 feet as directed by it in an earlier order.

The petition of the Kerala government seeking reduction in the water level from 136 feet to 120 feet was dismissed as not pressed.

Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been at loggerheads over the dam, built under an 1886 accord between the then Maharaja of Travancore and the erstwhile British Raj.

While it is located in Kerala, its waters also serve Tamil Nadu.