NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to set up fresh negotiation committee within two weeks to settle Pennar river water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Prashant Kumar Misra also said that the committe should furnish its report within three months with regard to the outcome of exercise.
Tamil Nadu, however, opposed the request of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to reopen negotiations saying it was a waste of time.
On the contrary, Karnataka submitted that that the previous negotiation committee conducted proceedings in an arbitrary manner and hurriedly concluded only after two meetings that dispute cannot be resolved by negotiation.
Karnataka also said, no field visits were conducted by the committee.
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati representing the Centre submitted that inter State disputes being a sensitive matter, further negotiation should be permitted.
South Pennar or Ponnaiyar or Pinakini originates in Nandi Hills near Bengaluru and flows into the Bay of Bengal through Tamil Nadu after crossing Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Tamil Nadu has objected to Karnataka’s project to build a 0.5 tmcft storage facility along the Markandeya river in Kolar district, which is a tributary of South Pennar in Kolar district. The facility, which is around 80 per cent complete, aims to supply water to Malur, Bangarpet and Kolar and about 48 villages in the adjoining areas.
In November 2019, Tamil Nadu filed an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court for direction to Karnataka to restrain from building a reservoir on Markandeya river alleging that since the river is tributary of Pennaiyar river, any construction of dam by Karnataka would obstruct natural flows to the downstream.
Tamil Nadu also requested the Centre to constitute the Tribunal to resolve sharing of water between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Centre had earlier told the Supreme Court that it was ready to constitute the Tribunal to resolve it. However, Karnataka pressed for constituting fresh negotiation committee to resolve sharing of water dispute.
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