Krishna water tribunal gets a year's extension from August 1

NEW DELHI: Days after granting an extension to Ravi and Beas Waters Tribunal, the country's oldest water disputes tribunal, the Centre has extended the tenure of Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal as well. Constituted in April 2004 to adjudicate the river water-sharing dispute among Maharashtra, Karnataka and erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, Krishna tribunal has got an extension of another year, with effect from August 1.

Krishna tribunal is one of the four active river-water tribunals in India, which have got extensions year after year, as they haven't managed to come up with an acceptable decision despite their extended tenures.

"The said tribunals were constituted to adjudicate disputes between two or more states and therefore need to work towards early resolution, particularly since such disputes involve public interest and public welfare. Given the wide-reaching implications of such adjudication, I believe the proceedings should be completed in a time-bound manner while also adhering to the procedural laws," said Khushal Garg, a Delhi high court advocate who has been following the issue.

Noting that granting repeated extensions dilutes the essence of justice, he said, "The Inter-State River Water Disputes Act , 1956 may be amended to incorporate fixed timelines for final decisions, as it would expedite resolution process".

The terms of reference of the 21-year-old Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal were amended last year to accommodate the water-sharing concerns of a fourth state, Telangana, as well, factoring in issues arising out of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act , 2014.