Telangana hails Centre's decision of single tribunal for river water disputes

Hyderabad: The Telangana state government on Sunday welcomed the Union Cabinet decision to constitute a single tribunal to deal with all inter-state river water disputes by dispensing with the various existing tribunals. The AP government said the Centre’s decision would further delay the adjudication of disputes.

The Centre said it would amend the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956 in the Budget Session of Parliament to form the national tribunal. The existing Act, enacted under Article 262 of the Constitution in 1956, allows the Centre to constitute separate tribunals to adjudicate water disputes between river basin states.

A senior officer of the Telangana state irrigation department said the incumbent tribunals were taking too much time in adjudicating matters; it would be handy for a few former judges to prolong the litigation to seek more extensions.

He said there was enormous delay in constituting the tribunal by selecting the chairman and members, then searching for a separate office and residential accommodation for them. State governments object to the appointment of some members which causes more delay, he said. If the national tribunal would be constituted on the lines of the Supreme Court with 10 or more members dealing with different disputes, “it is very good,” he said.

A senior officer in the AP government water resources ministry said setting up a common tribunal was like constituting a parallel Supreme Court-like institution which would only delay matters.

“The tribunal is a body that exclusively deals with the issue that was referred to it by the Centre. It is in the implementation that political issues are cropping up,” he said. He cited the Cauvery dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and said one state was always not ready to implement the tribunal’s award.

“The Centre using it powers should discipline the particular state even going to the extent of dismissing the government which it did not do. Without enforcing discipline, setting up a common tribunal is not the solution,” he said.

“Assuming that the award of the national tribunal is also not implemented by a state government, is its purpose,” the water resources ministry official said.