New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday justified in the Supreme Court the delay in framing a scheme to implement the directions in the February 16 judgment for release of water by Karnataka as per the Tribunal award due to Karnataka assembly elections and campaign by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other cabinet ministers.
Attorney-general K.K. Venugopal who made this submission before a bench said, “We are in a difficult position. We could not finalise the scheme within the time limit of May 3. The scheme has to be approved by the Union cabinet and since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other ministers are traveling the scheme could not be finalised.”
The court in a brief order directed the Centre to file an affidavit by May 8 explaining the steps it had taken to frame the scheme and also asked Karnataka to take instructions on release of 4 tmcft of water to TN before the end of May.
