Supreme Court to hear TN plea on Cauvery Board

Jaya govt wants water released urgently

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed readiness to hear a plea by Tamil Nadu for direction to the Centre for setting up of Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for distribution of the river’s water.

According to Tamil Nadu, both bodies were to be constituted as per the final order of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal Authority passed on February 5, 2007, and notified by the Centre on February 19 this year.

A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir fixed the application filed by Tamil Nadu for hearing on next Friday. Senior advocate C S Vaidyanathan, representing Tamil Nadu, pointed out the urgency while mentioning the matter before starting of the hearing of listed cases.

He said the Cauvery Management Board required to be constituted as supervisory committee, formed after the notification, had met twice so far but could not issue any direction to Karnataka to release water for the state.

Senior counsel Fali S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, submitted that there was no urgency as the civil appeal against the order of the tribunal was coming up for hearing on August 6.

In its application, Tamil Nadu sought direction to Karnataka to immediately release 10 TMC feet of water due to it for June. It also wanted Karnataka to release 53.18 TMC feet as part of the shortfall at Mettur reservoir for the water year 2012-13, as computed on the pro-rata sharing formula by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee.

“Karnataka has already received about 26 TMC feet of water from 01.06.2013 to 24.06.2013 in its four major reservoirs, but has not released any water to Tamil Nadu from its reservoirs. The petitioner state has received only 1.70 TMC feet at Billigundulu as on 24.06.2013, which is not on account of any releases from the reservoirs of Karnataka,” read TN’s application.

“Thus, if Karnataka is permitted to perpetuate such deliberate action, it would not merely cause irreparable loss and prejudice to the inhabitants of Tamil Nadu but would be a direct affront to the deemed decree of this court dated 19.02.2013,” it added.

Tamil Nadu also criticised Karnataka’s opposition over manner in which supervisory committee was formed for implementation of tribunal’s order.