New Delhi, Sept 08: The Supreme Court today issued notices to the governments of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Pondicherry on a petition filed by Kerala challenging the Cauvery tribunal's order asking it not to go ahead with the check dam on Bhavani river, a tributary of River Cauvery. A Bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice Arijit Pasayat also issued notice on the interim application of the Kerala government seeking stay on the April 02 order of the tribunal and asked the parties to file their replies within four weeks.
The tribunal had held that as it was seized of the entire dispute between the states relating to sharing of the Cauvery river water, the Kerala state should not go ahead with its Rs 2.75 crore check dam project over the tributary of Cauvery till it gave its final verdict.
Kerala government contended that the state was facing shortage of water and the check dam was to provide water to three villages.
It said that under the Siruvani water agreement between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, it was to utilise 2.5 tmc feet water. However, even after the construction of the check dam it would only be utilising 0.718 tmc feet water, which was much lower than its share, it added and sought quashing of the tribunal's order. Bureau Report