New Delhi

Supreme Court asks Centre to resolve Palar dispute

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to resolve the dispute over the Palar river between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

To facilitate holding of talks, a three-Judge Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice J.M. Panchal adjourned by two months hearing on Tamil Nadu’s suit to restrain the Andhra Pradesh Government from proceeding with the construction of a reservoir in the Kuppam area.

Senior counsel K. Parasaran appeared for Tamil Nadu and Rakesh Dwivedi for Andhra Pradesh.

In an application filed in the original suit, Tamil Nadu sought an injunction against Andhra Pradesh from proceeding with its construction plan.

The petition stated that the Palar flowing through the northern districts of Tamil Nadu, was the lifeline of people living in Vellore, Kancheepuram and Chennai districts.

It referred to media reports that the Andhra Pradesh proposed to construct a reservoir with a storage capacity of 2000 tmcft of water and that the work would be taken up shortly. The application said the river was deficit in water supply and received precious flow for a very short period. It supported an ayacut of nearly one lakh acres in the northern districts of Tamil Nadu. Farmers depended upon this river for irrigation.

The Palar, with its sand strata, was the only major source of drinking water supply to several towns and villages in the three districts. Any diminution in supply would cause severe pollution problems affecting the inhabitants living along the banks.

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