Supreme Court approves draft Cauvery Management Scheme

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday brushed aside all objections from Karnataka to the proposed Cauvery Board that will oversee actual water-sharing arrangements under the Cauvery Water Tribunal Award between the riparian states and ordered the central government to notify it before the monsoons.

The board will prevent day-today wrangling over the award and fresh legal tangles which have held up implementation of the award. Water disputes are adjudicated by tribunals, but are given effect to on the ground by the board packed with technical experts such as engineers. Though the award was made way back in 2007, it is yet to be implemented.

Earlier this year, the court marginally revised it to make it acceptable to all sides after years and directed the Centre to set up the board which would iron out day-today differences and work out actual division of water.


The decision of the board would be binding between states. The SC had asked the central government on February 16 to frame a scheme under Section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, for smooth implementation of the Cauvery Tribunal Award as modified by the top court.

The central government then began to work on a consensus for framing the scheme, held consultations with the riparian states and union territories, but eventually worked out a scheme only after Tamil Nadu filed a contempt petition seeking action against it for dragging its feet on the issue.

Initially, the Centre stalled citing poll engagements of the PM and the Cabinet in Karnataka and sought to have it posted after the polls, but later under pressure came up with a draft scheme. Karnataka opposed the scheme on several counts on the ground that it was not in consonance with the modified award.