As part of reforms in the water sector, the Ministry of Water Resources has proposed a Standing Tribunal to adjudicate on inter-state water disputes, Minister for Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs P.K. Bansal said here on Monday.
He said the Ministry was preparing the details of the proposal, which would be sent to the Union Cabinet soon for approval.
The idea is to have a single tribunal of about five judges with benches to resolve disputes.
“A need is felt from whomsoever I have talked to, including the judges who constitute these commissions, that it would not be a bad idea to have one Standing Tribunal to resolve inter-state water disputes,” he told journalists after releasing a Central Water Commission report on Water Quality in Rivers of India.
With paucity of space the same court room could be used by any bench. “All disputes from time to time could be referred to the standing tribunal. At present the law does not stipulate that. Whenever a request is made by one State, we constitute a new tribunal appointed by the Cabinet. We will have to amend the statute for this.”
To a question, Mr. Bansal said there would be a time limit for resolving disputes. At the same time, the age limit for judges would also have to be set.
