The Centre has extended the term of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by six months up to May 2, 2018, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation said in a statement on Saturday.
The tribunal is looking into the long-standing dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the sharing of Cauvery, an inter-State basin having its origin in Karnataka and flowing through Tamil Nadu and Puducherry before out falling in the Bay of Bengal.
The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal was constituted on June 2, 1990 to adjudicate the water dispute regarding inter-State river Cauvery and the river valley thereof among the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry, the release said.
The genesis of this conflict rests in two agreements in 1892 and 1924 between the erstwhile Madras Presidency and Kingdom of Mysore.
The tribunal was asked to submit its report by August 5, 2005. The term of the tribunal was extended for one year up to August 6, 2006 and again for six months up to Februay 5, 2007.
The tribunal gave its report and decision u/s 5(2) of the ISRWD Act, 1956 on February 5, 2007. The party States and Central Govt filed application for clarification/further guidance u/s 5 (3) of the above said Act on April 27, 2007, April 30, 2007 and May 03, 2007 and the Tribunal had to submit a further report within one year from May 03,2007.
“The Central government on the requests made by the tribunal from time to time extended the period of the submission of the said further report up to November 2, 2017. Now the tribunal has again sought an extension and hence the government has extended the period up to May 2, 2018,” the Ministry said.
Meanwhile, the two States have filed a Special Leave Petition against the report and decision of the Tribunal before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on May 5, 2007 granted Special Leave in the matter.