The Union Ministry of Water Resources has sent a draft copy of the gazette notification of the tribunal’s verdict to the Law Ministry for examination. “As soon as the Law Ministry gives its nod, the notification will be published in the official gazette,” Water Resources Ministry sources told Deccan Herald.
Though the tribunal, which pronounced its final verdict on December 30 last year, had given 90 days to the three contesting states—Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra—to seek clarification, the ministry decided to go head with issuing the notification without any delay.
The Centre has preferred using its power under Section 6(2) of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, which says that if the Union government publishes the decision in the offical gazette, it would carry the same force as that of an order or decree of the Supreme Court.