Nod to set up Tribunal for all water disputes

New Delhi: Aiming to end indefinite disputes related to sharing of river waters among states, which stretch to decades in several tribunals across the country, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the way to set up an all encompassing single tribunal, which would be permanent in nature and would be mandated to settle all matters within two years time frame.

Union minister for HRD Prakash Javadekar told mediapersons after the Cabinet meeting, that the new permanent tribunal will subsume the existing nine tribunals and speedily expedite all pending matters.

Mr Javadekar lamented that it has taken anything from “17 to 27” years to resolve disputes by these tribunals.

The Cauvery river water sharing dispute tribunal is one such forum. Besides the new tribunal, the government has also proposed to float its benches by amending the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956 to look into disputes as and when required.

Unlike the Tribunal, the benches will cease to exist once the disputes are resolved.

As per an earlier Bill, a retired Supreme Court judge will head the tribunal. There will be benches formed as and when required. The benches though will be wound up once a dispute is resolve, official sources said.

The 2017 bill could not get parliamentary nod. The tribunal will be mandated to deliver final award in two years, Mr Javadekar said.

In order to give more teeth to the Tribunal, it is proposed that whenever it gives order, the verdict gets notified automatically, official sources added.

As per the current provisions of the 1956 Act, a tribunal can be formed after a state government approaches the Union government with such a request and the Centre is convinced of the need to form the tribunal.