Cauvery issue: Kerala mulling to approach SC

The Kerala Government was looking at possibilities of approaching the Supreme Court against the Cauvery Tribunal award since the state did not get its due share of water, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said on Tuesday.

The state would first seek a detailed clarification from the Tribunal and then move the apex court to protect its interests. The government would take steps in this regard in consultation with senior lawyers, the Chief Minister said in a reply furnished in the state assembly.

The Tribunal award had come in the way of two hydel projects -- Banasurasagar and Kuttiyadi Augmentation. The first one required 1.7 tmc feet water and the second, 5 tmc feet.

The quantum allocated by the Tribunal for these two projects was a meagre 0.8 tmc feet.

Meanwhile, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have so far not been able to reach a consensus on issues concerning the Parambikkulam Aliyar Project, the agreement of which is now under review, he said.

While there was no provision to recast the agreement, it could be reviewed in every 30 years. Accordingly, the review process had begun in 1988 but the two states were not able to reach a consensus, he said in a written reply.

Violation of certain conditions of the agreement by Tamil Nadu had come to the notice of state authorities. It was the responsibility of the state's nominees in the Joint Water Regulation Board to keep a tab on this, he said.