A proposal to vest more powers with the proposed River Basin Organisations (RBOs) has been stiffly opposed by Punjab and Kerala while it received support from states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Haryana.
The Water Resources Ministry has proposed to amend the River Boards Act of 1956 to vest mandatory powers with RBOs.
The government proposes to set up RBOs for advising interested state governments on matters relating to regulation or development of an inter-state river or river valley and change its role from being advisory to mandatory.
So far, no organisation or board has been set up under the River Board Act.
The matter came for discussion during the 13th meeting of the National Water Board here recently in which representatives from various states participated, sources said.
States like Punjab and Kerala opposed the proposal claiming that once the proposed amendments are accepted, the RBOs could be used to force decisions of the Central government on the states.
The sources pointed out that with several states entangled in water sharing disputes with their neighbours, they are against any scope of a Central intervention.
