DISPUTED ORDER OF THE VANSADHARA TRIBUNAL SUBJUDICE IN THE HON’BLE SUPREME COURT

Bhubaneswar(Kalinga Voice) : The decision of the Hon’ble Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal is under subjudice in the Supreme Court. The State of Odisha has declined to agree to the request of the State of Andhra Pradesh to grant any consent in the publication of Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal in the official Gazette, subject to finalization of the SLP in the Supreme Court, clarified by Department of Water Resources, Government of Odisha.

It is further stated by the department that the Hon’ble Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal (VWDT) had Pronounced its final order on 13.09.2017,wherein the Tribunal had allowed the construction of Neradi Barrage on river Vansadhara by the State of Andhra Pradesh. However, the State of Odisha had immediately filed a SLP No. 8030/ 2018 before the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 12.12.2017 against the final order of the Vansadhara Water Dispute Tribunal based on the grounds that the Hon’ble Tribunal has overlooked the important conditions laid down in the various inter-State Agreements held between the States of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The State of Odisha had also filed as Application for clarification before the Vansadhara Tribunal against its final order of 13.09.2O17. The Tribunal pronounced the further Report on 21.06.2021, wherein the Tribunal has by and large kept its final order dated 13.09.2017 intact, but subject to the finalization of SLP in the Hon’ble Supreme Court.
The State of Odisha has also filed SLP No. 27930/2019 against the order dated 23.09.2019 of the Vansadhara Water Dispute Tribunal directing for joint survey in the territory of Odisha, which is also pending before the Hon’b1e Supreme Court.
Senior Advocate, Mr. Gopal Subramanium, is defending the case of the State of Odisha in the Hon’ble Supreme Court.
In view of the pending SLP No. 8030/2018 and SLP No. 27930/2019 in the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the order of the Hon’b1e Tribunal dated 13.09.2017 & 21.06.2021 cannot be published in the official Gazette under section 6(1) of the inter-State River Water Dispute Act,1956, which is essential for operationalization of order of the Tribunal.

In this regard, it is important to mention that the State of Odisha has declined to agree to the request of the State of Andhra Pradesh to grant any consent in the publication of the decision of th Vansadhara Water Disputes Tribunal dated 13.09.2017 in the official Gazette, subject to finalization of the SLP in the Supreme Court.