The Hindu Business Line : `Cauvery award implementation can be done scientifically'

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Coimbatore Feb. 7 The Union Minister for Water Resources, Mr Saifuddin Soz, has maintained that the implementation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award could be gone through scientifically as envisaged in the award and the regulatory authority will be able to carry out the task.

The Union Minister's observation on the tribunal award came during an informal chat with presspersons at the sidelines of the international ground water conference at the TNAU here today.

As for the finality of the award, Mr Soz asserted that it was left to the respective riparian States to approach the tribunal, if they had any grievance or seek any clarification on the award as the tribunal had provided three months time for them to do so. The Minister also clarified that the tribunal would thereafter take nine months before it could give its final word.

Interlinking of rivers

As for interlinking of rivers in the country, one of the demands made by the States including Tamil Nadu facing deficit river water sources, the Union Minister said that in a federal set up linking of rivers could be achieved only with the consent of the States involved because the issue of river water is a State subject. About 16 feasibility reports for linking rivers in the peninsular region are ready. In respect of two inter-State rivers - Ken-Bithwa (involving Madhra Pradesh and Gujarat) and Kalisindh-Parbathi (between Madhya Pradedh and Rajasthan), they have moved to the detailed project report (DPR) stage. On bringing the subject of river waters into the Concurrent List, the Union Minister said the Parliamentary Consultative Committee and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources favoured transferring the subject into the Concurrent list.

Earlier, participating at the inauguration of the International groundwater conference, two Tamil Nadu Ministers, Mr Pongalur N. Palanisamy (Rural Industries) and Mr Veerapandi S. Arumugam (Agriculture), asked the Union Irrigation Minister to take up the issue of linking the southern rivers with the Centre so that the deficit States such as Tamil Nadu could get water for irrigation/drinking as at present river waters from surplus States are allowed to go unutilised.

(The Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister later responding to a query from presspersons on the Cauvery Tribunal award granting 192 tmcf to Tamil Nadu, said that the State Government had welcomed the tribunal award. He said in the event of Karnataka preferring to go to court opposing the award, Tamil Nadu too would have to match it in order to ascertain its entitlement).

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