Tell Centre to set up Cauvery board, TN urges apex court

Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre to set up the Cauvery Management Board in view of Karnataka’s plan to build a hydro-power station at Mekedatu and three reservoirs for the purpose. The application wanted strict implementation of the award as determined by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007.

In a fresh application filed on Monday, the Tamil Nadu government contended that the Karnataka government proposed to start new schemes which were not contemplated in the final award to utilise the river water.

It referred to Chief Minister Jayalalitha’s letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 2, pointing out the plan to construct a hydro-power station at Mekedatu by Karnataka. Three reservoirs proposed near Mekedatu were to be built across the river, which was illegal; besides it would also affect irrigation in Tamil Nadu, the application alleged.

The plea filed in the Supreme Court challenged Karnataka’s stand that there was no impediment in executing the scheme of construction of a reservoir as the final order has been notified. “In a federal structure, no upper riparian state can unilaterally interfere with the natural flow of an inter-state river without the consent and concurrence of the lower riparian state,” it said.

The Supreme Court had in August refused to pass any order on a plea made by Tamil Nadu seeking direction to the Centre for setting up the Cauvery Management Board and Regulation Committee, in view of the bountiful rains during the south-west monsoon.

Previous plea

In its plea filed in March, Tamil Nadu sought direction to the central government to constitute the Cauvery Management Board as contained in the final order of February 5, 2007 by the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal and notified on February 19 this year.
The court had then fixed the petition challenging the Tribunal’s order for hearing in the third week of January next year.