The Tamil Nadu government has urged the Centre to withdraw its interlocutory application to the Supreme Court stating that it cannot form the Cauvery Management Board for now.
In letter to Shashi Shekhar, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Water Resources, on Monday, P Rama Mohana Rao, Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu, said it is learnt that the Centre has filed an Interlocutory Application on Monday in the Supreme Court seeking modification to the order dated September 9, 2016, stating that the Cauvery Management Board cannot be constituted now.
Constitute boardThis is against the assurance given by the Attorney General to the Supreme Court. “We are unable to understand what caused this sudden reversal in Government of India’s stand,” he said in the letter.
The Chief Secretary urged the government to withdraw the application and constitute the Cauvery Management Board on or before October 4, as directed by the Supreme Court.
Recalling the ongoing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the sharing of the Cauvery waters, he said Tamil Nadu has consistently urged the Centre to constitute a permanent mechanism, namely, the Cauvery Management Board, and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for the effective implementation of the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as envisaged in that order.
On September 20, the Supreme Court directed the release of 6,000 cusecs of water between September 21 and 27 and in addition, ordered the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board within four weeks.
On September 30, the apex court recorded the submission of Mukul Rohatgi, Attorney General of India, that the Cauvery Management Board can be constituted on or before October 4. Rohatgi further submitted that Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry have to nominate their representatives as per the final order passed by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. The Supreme Court further directed the States and the Union Territory to nominate their members on or before 4 pm on October 1.
Tamil Nadu had nominated R Subramanian, Chairman, Cauvery Technical Cell, as its representative in the Cauvery Management Board.