Tribunal award to be implemented in a year: Soz

Coimbatore, Feb 7: Union Minister of Water Resources Saifuddin Soz today expressed the hope that the Cauvery Tribunal Award of February 5 would be implemented by state governments concerned within a year.

Talking to media here, he said the Tribunal had also given three months to enable appeal by the parties concerned against the final verdict. It would be dealt with within nine months by the Tribunal, which would function for one more year.

Stating the Centre would focus more on agricultural development and water management during the 11th Five Year Plan, he said the country's population would be 1.60 billion by 2050 and requirement of foodgrain rose to 400 million tonne.

'The country needs to increase food production by using available water. Hence the focus will be on sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation,'' he said, adding research was on for better utilisation of water for enhanced food production.

Dismissing fears on inter-linking of rivers, he said the Centre was not going slow and 16 feasibility reports had been prepared exclusively for linking peninsular rivers in south India. ''it is a gigantic process and the governments concerned should agree to it.

''Once concurrence was obtained a Detailed Project Report (DPR) would be prepared for implementation. The DPRs were ready for linking Ken-Betwa rivers traversing through Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat and Kali Sidhch-Parpath rivers in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan,'' the minister said.

He said, ''It is in the hands of state governments to act as they have all the rights to object in a democratic country like India.'' About 'nationalisation' of rivers, he said the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the issue had recommended that water-abundant states should help water-deprived states. The Committee decided to bring it before the public as it was necessary to evolve a consensus among concerned governments to introduce a Bill in Parliament.

On Mullaperiyar dam, Prof Soz said, ''If the governments concerned come to me, I can solve it. If they move the court, I cannot do anything.''

UNI