Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has strongly opposed setting up of a Cauvery Management Board to ensure implementation of the Supreme Court’s verdict on Cauvery water sharing among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. He said setting up the board would adversely affect the State’s interests.
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to set up the board as mandated by the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal within six weeks.
Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the court partially accepted the State’s plea on Friday, but “we strongly oppose the formation of the board by the Centre.” The Centre should take steps to set up the board only after consultation with all three States and the Union Territory, he said.
Congress leader and MLC V.S. Ugrappa toldThe Hinduthat the proposed board would comprise a chairman and two members appointed by the Centre and one representative each from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. “Karnataka is unlikely to get a favourable decision from the proposed board since majority of its members will be nominees of the Centre and lower riparian States,” Mr. Ugrappa alleged.
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will have to bear 40% each of the board’s expenditure, while Kerala and Puducherry have to bear 15% and 5% respectively, he said.
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