CHENNAI: The State government will not accept anything less than the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) when the Supreme Court hears its contempt petition against the Centre on Monday, it is learnt. Sources said CM Edappadi K Palaniswami, while chairing a high-level meeting at the Secretariat on Saturday, advised senior counsel appearing for Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue to “stick to the demand for the CMB and nothing less.”
In its petition filed on March 31, the Centre sought clarification about the ‘scheme’ to be framed for implementing the final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal and indicated that ‘scheme’ need not be formation of the CMB.The meeting discussed threadbare the key aspects of the February 16 verdict, in which the Supreme Court clearly mentioned about formation of the CMB. During the deliberations, the counsel felt that the argument of Karnataka for forming a dispute settlement body was meaningless, sources said.
The counsel also felt as meaningless the arguments put forth by the Centre in its clarification petition about the law and order problems that could crop up if the ‘scheme’ for the final award of tribunal was implemented.The counsel said the Election Commission and Karnataka government did not express fears about the possibility of law and order issues if the ‘scheme’ was put in place.
During the meeting, Deputy CM O Panneerselvam, Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar, Law Minister C Ve Shanmugam, Public Works Department Secretary S K Prabhakar, Cauvery Technical Cell Chairman R Subramanian and senior counsel, including Sekhar Napadhe, were present.
Apex court judgment on CMB
On page 336 of the February 16 verdict, the Supreme Court says “.....the Tribunal had the implied power to make recommendations for implementing its decision. It thus recommended that the Cauvery Management Board be constituted on the lines of Bhakra Beas Management Board by the Central government. It underlined that unless an appropriate mechanism was set up, the prospect of implementation of its decision would not be secured.
It further recommended that as its award involved regulation of supplies from various reservoirs and other important nodal points/diversion structures, it was imperative that the mechanism, Cauvery Management Board, be entrusted with the function of supervision of the operation of reservoirs and the regulation of water releases therefrom with the assistance of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (to be constituted by the Board). It then suggested the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board, its composition, its items of business, etc. It also recommended the composition of the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee and outlined its functions.”
Cauvery heat spreads
The delay in the formation of CMB left several Central government offices in a tricky situation as protesters chose them to vent their ire in Tiruchy
Law and order officials had a tough time when protesters demonstrated in front of the railway station and the offices of All India Radio and Hindi Prachar Sabha on Saturday
The traffic on Thanjavur-Tiruchy National Highway was affected for more than an hour as the farmers under the banner of Cauvery Rights Retrieval Committee blocked it
at Sanoorappatti
The members of CRRC locked up the LIC office on Tiruchy Road in Thanjavur protesting the Union government
The members of General Association of the Differently-abled staged a protest in front of the Thanjavur Head Post Office demanding CMB
DMDK cadre staged a demonstration in front of Theni post office
The students of various colleges under the banner of SFI staged a dharna in front of MGR statue in Thanjavur Railway Junction