Supreme Court issues notices to Karnataka, Centre on Sivasamudram project

New Delhi, Aug.21 (ANI): A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Karnataka Government and the Centre to reply within three weeks to an allegation by the Tamil Nadu Government that the Karnataka Government has unilaterally decided to go ahead with Sivasamudram Hydero power project in the Cauvery Basin by violating the directions of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

The bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam issued the notices.

Senior advocate K Parasaran mentioned the Tamil Nadu Government's application in which it alleged that instead of putting the control of the project under a neutral agency, the Karnataka Government was executing it through Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd.

Counsel for the Tamil Nadu Government submitted that the Karnataka Governmenty has not accepted the direction of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal that the project has to go through a neutral body like National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).

It said the Centre had come out with a proposal Cauvery-Mettur Hydro Electrical Project in 1998 by which four projects -- ivasamudram, Mekadatu, Rasimanal and Hogenekkal-were to be executed by the NHPC.

While the Sivasamudram and the Mekadatu projects fall within the territory of Karnataka, the Rasimanal and the Hogenekkal projects come under Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Government has sought a direction to the Centre to execute all the four hydro projects as a package through NHPC or any other appropriate central power generation utility so as to derive maximum benefits of power potential.(ANI)