New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea of Tamil Nadu government for setting up Cauvery Management Board for implementation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal award, saying there is "no urgency" for it.
"We don't think there is any urgency in the prayer made by Tamil Nadu. The application can be heard along with civil appeal on award given by the tribunal," a bench headed by Justice R M Lodha said.
The bench asked the Karnataka government to file its response on setting up of the board.
It observed that the monsoon has been good this year and there is no scarcity of water for Tamil Nadu and asked the state not to get apprehensive about the irrigation project being considered by the Karnataka government.
"Whatever they (Karnataka) do in their territory, your anxiety gets triggered. These are irrigation schemes and it takes time," the bench said.
"In this monsoon, God has taken care of water. We can understand drought situation has been there and your crop gets affected," the bench said, while posting the matter for hearing in January next year.
The bench said the apprehension of the Tamil Nadu government that the project considered by Karnataka will affect water sharing is "misplaced and misconceived".
The Centre also submitted that it is not giving clearance to any such project.
"Why are you obsessed with the board. We have made ad-hoc arrangement. If it is not working then we are here to look into," the bench told the Tamil Nadu government.
The Tamil Nadu government, in its application, had sought the court's intervention to set up the Cauvery Management Board alleging that Karnataka was planning to construct a hydro-power station at Mekedatu for which three reservoirs were planned across Cauvery river.