National Water Resources Council Meeting - Friday Dec 28,2012

Three non-Congress ruled States — Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh — on Friday opposed an overarching national legal framework on water management, saying any such law should be prepared by the States and not the Centre. 

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said, “Water-related laws are important to be prepared at the level of States so that legal rights in this regard are fully with them.”

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda said “There is no need to enact any central law on this subject nor it is in consonance with the provisions of the Constitution“.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said “While the U.P. government agrees to most of the proposals (in the draft Water Policy), the proposal to create a law on water is a sensitive issue. Water is a state subject according to the Constitution and states have a right to formulate policies keeping in mind their special needs,”

 

Another, non-Congress State, Karnataka, meanwhile wanted a relook into the Inter-State Water Disputes Act to remove “loose ends” in the legislation. 

Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar said “Permanent water dispute tribunal should be established in the Apex Court and its benches at all the States’ High Courts on the lines of the Green Bench,”