Proposal for Karnataka BPC to hand water disputes

There are suggestions from legal experts that the state government should extend the jurisdiction of the Karnataka Border Protection Commission and bring inter-state river disputes under its aegis.

According to a proposal prepared by retired High Court judges and senior advocates, the move will help the state while arguing cases related to inter-state water disputes in the Supreme Court and various tribunals. At present, the panel assists the government in dealing with Karnataka’s border dispute with neighbouring states especially with Maharashtra. It also recommends the government on improving conditions of villages along the border.

The proposal, which will be submitted to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy soon, suggests that experts in water disputes with regard to Rivers Cauvery, Krishna and Mahadayi, should be included in the panel.

Besides, the chairperson and chief engineers of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam and Cauvery Niravari Nigam can also be included in the Commission. The panel can provide assistance to the state legal team while fighting inter-state water dispute cases in courts, goes the suggestion.

The state has disputes regarding boundary with Maharashtra, and is fighting cases pertaining to sharing of waters of River Cauvery with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, sharing of waters of River Krishna with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and sharing of waters of River Mahadayi with Goa and Maharashtra.