Centre Moves Bill For Single Tribunal On Water Disputes

The new constitutional body will enable speedier settlement of long-pending disputes over water sharing among states.

- Sanjeev Sirohi

In a laudable move the Central Government, on 14 March 2017, introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha that would pave the way for setting up of a single standing tribunal to resolve water-related disputes between states.

This Bill very rightly seeks to set up a single, permanent tribunal to adjudicate all inter-state river water disputes subsuming existing tribunals. As of now, there are multiple tribunals that, more often than not, end up delaying the process of dispute resolution.

While introducing the Bill, Union water resources minister Uma Bharti called it “revolutionary”, amid opposition by Bhartruhari Mahtab of BJD who said it was “very wrongly drafted” and asked the government to consult the states before bringing it.

Rejecting his contention, Uma Bharti said that Mahtab had not given any logical reasoning as to why he considered the Bill, aimed at resolving grievances of states in a speedy manner by amending the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, as badly drafted.

Citing the Cauvery water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, she said that the new law will be effective in dealing with such disputes and sought support of members of various parties for its passage.

Uma Bharti minced no words in saying that it proposes to streamline the adjudication of inter-state river water disputes and make the present legal and institutional architecture robust. The Bill bats for a single standing tribunal, which will be headed by a chairperson with a five year term.

Apart from one chairperson, there will be one vice-chairperson and not more than six members. The total time period for adjudication of a water dispute has been fixed at a maximum of four-and-a-half years.