TN moves SC for constitution of Cauvery Management Board -Tuesday June 25,2013

                                     Krishna Raja Sagar Dam Built Across Cauvery River

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday June 25,2013 moved the Supreme Court for a direction to the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board forthwith for the effective implementation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

In a fresh application, Tamil Nadu said the court, on May 10,2013 directed the Centre to constitute a pro-tem supervisory committee consisting of officials of the Union Water Resources Ministry and the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry for the purpose of ensuring the implementation the final order. 

The Centre notified the formation of the committee on May 22,2013 

Commenting on the way Karnataka presented its position on the issue during the first meeting of the committee on June 1, 2013 the application stated that Karnataka State was attempting to get over the binding adjudication and avoid the implementation of the final order in letter and spirit. 

In the committee’s next meeting on June 12,2013 Karnataka filed detailed submissions which would virtually result in non-implementation of the final order of the Tribunal. Its stand that the committee could not take decisions as it was not properly formed “clearly demonstrate” that Karnataka was not willing to share water with Tamil Nadu and that it would continue “defiant attitude” of not implementing the binding adjudication of the Tribunal.

Supervisory Committee Meetings

June 1, 2013: Union Water Resources Secretary Chairs the 1st meeting which saw Tamil Nadu demanding its share of water for June as stipulated in the award.

June 2, 2013:Water can't be released as and when TN demands, says Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

June 6, 2013: Karnataka says it can't release 134 TMV of Water to TN between June and September.

June 12, 1013: Cauvery Supervisory Committee terms the Tamil Nadu's plea for directions to Karnataka for release of Cauvery waters as per the award of the CWDT as not feasible 

The action of Karnataka was clearly an “abuse of process of law” and amounted to contempt of the Supreme Court’s order dated May 10. “The storage in Karnataka reservoirs has increased from about 14 tmcft [thousand million cubic feet] recorded on June 10 to 36 tmcft, as on June 24,2013 an increase of 22 tmcft. 

Hence, Tamil Nadu sought a direction to Karnataka to immediately release 10 tmcft of water due to Tamil Nadu for June and thereafter to release the 10 day flows/monthly flows in the subsequent months as per the final order of the Tribunal, apart from direction to Karnataka to release 53.18 tmcft to Tamil Nadu, being the shortfall at Mettur Reservoir for the water year 2012-2013 as computed on the pro rata sharing formula by the Cauvery Monitoring Committee