Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary P Rama Mohan Rao wrote to Union Water Resources Secretary, Shashi Shekhar regarding the formation of the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee on Monday.

In his letter to Shekhar, Rao urged the centre to withdraw its interlocutory appeal (IA) filed earlier on Monday saying that it did not have the power to form the Cauvery Water Management Board as it fell under the domain of the legislature.

Arguing for the need to form a “professionally managed, neutral, technical” body in order to resolve the dispute as mandated by the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, Rao cited the apex court’s 2013 order that said that the formation of Supervisory Committee was ‘purely as pro tem measure’.

“You may recall that the Hon’ble Supreme Court in I.A. No.5/2013 in Civil Appeal No.2456/2007 on 10.5.2013, while constituting a Supervisory Committee purely as pro tem measure for the purpose of ensuring implementation of the notified Final Order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal,” he wrote.

He also invoked the recent Supreme Court order to the union government to form the board within four weeks’ time on September 20.

In his letter, Rao said that the state had been consistent on the demand of forming the Cauvery Water Management Board and quoted CM Jayalalithaa asking for the same.  

On Tuesday AIADMK MPs including the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, M Thambidurai went to meet PM Modi to mark their protest against the centre’s change of stance in the ongoing Cauvery Crisis.

The letter also summarised how the union government had earlier accepted the top court’s order and how as directed by the court, the state government had nominated its representative on the Board.