Cauvery Issue: TN settles for Water Management Authority, hopes to get its share

The apex court on Friday allowed the Centre’s decision to name the river management body in the amended draft scheme as the Cauvery Water Management Authority( CWMA) and directed the union government to notify the same as early as possible to ensure that the authority begins functioning from the ensuing water year that commences on June 1.

As per the revised draft, the reservoirs would continue to be operated by Karnataka itself and the authority would only give directions.

Advocate Umapathy, who represented the state in the apex court, said the top court has issued directions to notify the formation of the authority at the earliest and publish the same in the gazette.

On the draft’s consonance with the Cauvery River Water Dispute Tribunal, the advocate maintained that all the features and directions provided for in the final verdict of the tribunal has been accommodated in the scheme.

“We hope this authority will execute the final orders of the court modifying the water share. It will ensure the water release as well”, he said.

Asked about the powers of the authority in administrating the dams, Umapathy said the power to administrate the dams would be vested with Karnataka.

“Karnataka will release the water as per the final award.

Adequate safeguards have been included in the proposed authority”, he said without elaborating on the safeguards.

The counsel for Tamil Nadu added that there cannot be any political interference as its roles have been clearly defined to implement the final verdict of the apex court.

“We now have an authority in place. In good faith, the state hopes it would get its fair share”, he reiterated.

On the formation of the authority instead of board as envisaged under the tribunal’s final award, the counsel pointed out all were implementing machinery of the final orders.

“It could be called anything and all portions providing the water share asper the tribunal order have been incorporated in the rectified scheme”, he said.

About the water share, Umapathy observed that the accounts would be opened afresh without factoring any backlogs among all states and the first meeting of the authority would preferably be before June 1.