TN assembly resolution asks Centre to set up Cauvery board

Tamil Nadu Assembly today unanimously adopted a resolution urging the Centre to constitute the Cauvery water management board (CMB) and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC) within six weeks.

At a special sitting, exclusively convened to discuss the Cauvery issue, the opposition parties supported the government resolution moved by Chief Minister K Palaniswami.

The resolution recalled the Feburary 16 verdict of the Supreme Court on appeals by the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka governments over the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's final order and said the House insisted the Centre to set up the CMB and the CWRC within six weeks.

From the opposition side, Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin (DMK), Congress Legislature Party Leader K R Ramasamy, and lone IUML member K A M Muhammad Abubacker spoke on the resolution supporting the government stand.

Later, the Chief Minister who had recently submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking constitution of the Cauvery panels, recounted the decades old dispute with Karnataka and the current developments.

The resolution was adopted after he requested the House to pass it unanimously.

In its crucial verdict to resolve the decades-old dispute between southern riparian states over Cauvery river water sharing, the apex court had increased Karnataka's share by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's quantum while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin.

The Tamil Nadu government had last week claimed that the term 'scheme' used by the court in its verdict pointed to the formation of the CMB and CWRC that will implement the final award of the tribunal.

DMK and other opposition parties have earlier criticsed the state government over the issue and demanded a special assembly session to discuss the matter.

On February 22, an all party meet chaired by Palaniswami decided that the Chief Minister will lead a delegation of leaders of all parties, farmers and MPs from the state to meet the Prime Minister on the Cauvery issue.