Cauvery Management Authority formed

In a gazette notification, the Ministry of Water Resources said it has framed a scheme constituting the CMA and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee to give effect to the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as modified by the Supreme Court order.

The authority would comprise a chairman, eight members besides a secretary. Out of eight members, two each will be full-time and part-time members, while the rest four would be part-time members from states.

The chairman of the authority should either be a “senior and eminent engineer” with an experience of water resource management and handling of inter-state water dispute or an IAS officer with an experience in water resources management and handling the inter-state dispute. He will have the tenure of five years or until he reaches the age of 65, whichever is earlier.

If any delay is caused in release of water on account of default of any party state, the authority will take appropriate action. It will also supervise operation of reservoirs and with regulation of water releases therefrom with the assistance of regulation committee, the notification said.

The authority will also look at regulated release of water by Karnataka, at the inter-state contact point at Billigundulu gauge and discharge station, located on the common border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The notification further said that the authority at the beginning of the water year (June 1 ) would determine the total residual storage in the specified dams. It has to also prepare an annual report covering the activities of the authority for the preceding year. The Centre will initially contribute a sum of Rs 2 crore for the authority. The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee has to meet once in 10 days during June and October when the south-west and north-east monsoon set in and again after the monsoon has set in.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami called the formation of CWMA a great victory for the government of Tamil Nadu. Listing out the steps taken by the ruling AIADMK on Cauvery issue and referring to the letters he had written to the Centre on May 26 seeking constitution of CWMA and CWRC and enforcement of the orders before the onset of monsoon, Palaniswami said the CWMA and CWRC had been notified in the gazette only because of the continuous efforts of former CM J Jayalalithaa.