Karnataka takes legal route to stop Cauvery Board
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are engaged in a long term battle over Cauvery water
Bengaluru: Karntaka, which was assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) will not be constituted, when an all party delegation from from the state met him on Tuesday, has already taken the legal route to prevent it from being established and also countered various allegations of Tamil Nadu before the Supreme Court.
In its detailed counter filed in early January this year to Tamil Nadu’s plea for constitution of the CMB in the Supreme Court, the government said its neighbouring state’s application for a direction to the Centre for constituting the Cauvery Management Board must be dismissed as it would grossly interfere with its autonomy.
“The Cauvery Management Board is vested with powers and functions which are not only unnecessary but which intrude into the legislative and executive powers of the state,” it argued, claiming the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal had not considered these aspects before recommending that the board be constituted.
In its plea to the court, Tamil Nadu had said Karnataka must be restricted from carrying on with the Mekedatu and Shivanasamudram hydro power projects, rejuvenation of the Arkavathy river and modernization of the Hemavathi canals. Karnataka however, maintained the final order of the tribunal dated February 5, 2007 did not bar either state from tapping the surplus water available in the basin within their territories or stop them from constructing new projects using the conserved water.
It also pointed out that only detailed project reports had been prepared for the hydro electric projects at Mekedatu and Shivanasamudram and for the rejuvenation of the Arkavathy and no decision had been taken as yet on their construction.
As for Tamil Nadu government’s objections to the state allocating Rs. 10,000 crore a year to complete its irrigation projects, the state said the government had decided to only take up ongoing major and minor irrigation projects in line with the tribunal’s final order.