CHENNAI: The 1991 interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal will remain in operation till the Centre notifies the final award in the gazette, Public Works Minister Durai Murugan said here on Thursday.

Responding to All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Jayalalithaa's demand that the award be notified, he quoted the interim order, which stated that it would be in effect till the adjudication of the dispute referred to the tribunal.

The process

He explained that after the final award was given, three months had been given to the States concerned to raise any issue for clarification. The tribunal would take a year to address the issues. If more time was required, the Centre could be approached for extension.

After all the stages were over, the tribunal would give its clarifications and send the final report to the Centre. Only then would the award be notified.

He gave an account of the sequence the final awards of different tribunals set up for resolving inter-State river water disputes passed through. In the case of the Krishna, the tribunal was constituted on April 10, 1969. It gave its award on December 24, 1973. On May 27, 1976, it submitted the final report to the Centre. Four days later, the award was notified.

In the case of the Godavari, the tribunal, set up on April 10, 1969, gave its order on November 27, 1979. The submission of the report and the notification of the award took place on July 7, 1980.

As for the Narmada, the tribunal was created on October 6, 1969 and the award given on August 16, 1978. The tribunal gave its final report on December 7, 1979, and the award was gazetted five days later.

As for the Ravi-Beas, he said the tribunal was established on April 2, 1986. The final award was delivered on January 30, 1987.

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