Supreme Court Asks Centre To Draft Cauvery Water Sharing Scheme By 3 May

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to submit a draft of Cauvery water sharing scheme to it by 3 May. Taking up the Centre’s petition seeking more time to decide on the issue and the Tamil Nadu Government’s contempt petition against the Cabinet Secretary and Water Resources Secretary, a bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra pulled up the Centre for not framing the scheme by 29 March, 2018, the deadline set by it.

The government had neither framed the scheme within the six weeks time the Court had given nor conveyed its difficulties in implementing the scheme before the deadline expired.

“The directions of the Supreme Court should be complied with. Surprised that scheme was not framed. You are obliged. We passed the judgment after much difficulty,” said Justice Misra.

“Prove your bonafide (interest) to end the inter-state dispute by framing the Cauvery scheme. Our order has to be complied with. Every time, the Supreme Court cannot monitor (the proceedings). That is why we want you to frame the scheme. You file the scheme before us. You better implement our decree,” the Chief Justice said.

Attorney General KK Venugopal has agreed to submit the scheme before the new deadline, reported media.

The apex court has also asked the authorities in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to maintain calm and peace, till the court puts ‘its final stamp on the scheme’.

The Chief Justice agreed with the Tamil Nadu counsel that the scheme must provide for a board or an implementing authority ultimately.

The bench also said that once the Centre comes up with a draft scheme, including the setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Board and Monitoring Authority, it will take the views of the state of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry and Kerala into account before giving its approval.