TN leaders hail Apex court decision on setting up CMB

 Leaders of various political parties in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order instructing the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board (CMB).

The political leaders, including former Union Health Minister and PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss and MDMK founder Vaiko hailed the Apex Court decision. Terming the court's verdict over the Cauvery issue as "historic", Ramadoss said the state had been demanding setting up of the CMB for almost one decade.

Stating that the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) had given its final award in 2007, Ramadoss said the Congress and the BJP at the Centre did not to set up the CMB owing to political pressure as both the parties had governments in Karnataka. He pointed out that the then UPA-led Congress government did not notify the tribunal’s final award in the official gazette and later did not set up the CMB.

 Only after the Supreme Court ordered gazetting of the final award did the UPA government notify it in 2013. Echoing similar views, Vaiko said the Centre should constitute the CMB without any further delay.