Water Wars Continue: Tamil Nadu Seeks Removal Of CWC Chief Citing Conflict Of Interest, Bias Towards Karnataka

The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court seeking the removal of Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman Masood Hussain as the head of the Cauvery Management Authority (CMA), referring to a conflict of interest. It additionally looked for a direction to the Centre to delegate a full-time free Chairman to the CMA, reports The Hindustan Times.

This comes following the CWC's decision allowing authorisation to Karnataka to continue with the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the 66 TMC Mekedatu reservoir project across river Cauvery, upstream of Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu. Restricting the project as being detrimental to the interests of agriculturists in the delta locale, a unanimous resolution has been passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly, requesting the withdrawal of authorisation given to Karnataka.

Tamil Nadu has referred to the apex court verdict in the Cauvery debate which states that Karnataka couldn't appropriate water by building any dam without the permission of the lower riparian state.

In the request, Tamil Nadu looked for the evacuation of Hussain as the break executive of CMA and argued for a course to the Centre to select a customary administrator to the statutory body, which oversees and manages the capacity and allocation of Cauvery water among the basin states.

“There is every likelihood of conflict of interests arising in the discharge of the dual positions held by Hussain,” contended the petition while blaming him for being inclined towards Karnataka. To substantiate this, the petition referred to the Project Appraisal Directorate (South) of the CWC having engaged the feasibility report put together by Karnataka and afterwards conceding the nod for the preparation of the DPR for Mekedatu venture.