TN urges SC to set up Cauvery board

Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday urged the Supreme Court to set up Cauvery Management Board to supervise distribution of river water and not leave the responsibility to the Centre.

The state represented by senior advocate Shekhar Naphade contended before a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, that it had to suffer for 25 years because of frictional relationship with Karnataka on the issue.

During the hearing on civil appeals against tribunal’s decision of 2007, the bench quizzed Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar for not implementing the final award of the Cauvery Tribunal in 2007.

Kumar, for his part, submitted that the Centre did constitute supervisory committee on the apex court’s direction.

He said the government had sought certain clarifications on the tribunal award, but decided to wait for the apex court’s decision. Kumar pointed out that the tribunal award was not clear about water release during times of distress. Nariman, on the other hand, said there was no clarity in the award in times of surplus too.