PM’s assurance on water policy cuts no ice with State

States
Resources policy ‘adopted’ with modifications; Centre to hold further consultations
Gargi Parsai

NEW DELHI: Despite opposition

from the States to several
contentious clauses in the
draft National Water Re-
sources Policy, 2012, the Na-
tional Water Resources
Council meeting here on Fri-
day — chaired by Prime Min-
ister Manmohan Singh —
“adopted” the policy “with
modifications” and decided
to hold wider consultations
with them in a “follow-up
action.”
Seeking to allay apprehen-
sions, Dr. Singh, in his inau-
gural address, said: “The The
Central Government does
not wish to encroach, in any
manner, upon the Constitu-
tionally guaranteed rights of
the States or to centralise wa-
ter management.” But the as-
surance did not seem to work
as State after the State op- IN DEEP WATERS: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addresses the National Water Resources Council meeting in New Delhi on Friday. Also seen is Union Water
posed the move.
mov Resources Minister Harish Rawat. At right are the Chief Ministers of Haryana, Goa and Karnataka, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manohar Parikkar and Jagadish
The States, including those Shettar, at the meeting. — PHOTOS: S. SUBRAMANIUM
ruled by the Congress, op-
posed the proposal to set up tre declared that the policy latory authority to fix water Earlier, appealing to the rent institutional and legal every State.” Referring to wa- “We need to initiate steps to
an overarching national legal was “adopted.” tariffs and laws on ground- States to look at the proposed structures dealing with water ter pricing and groundwater minimise misuse of ground-
framework for water govern- “There was no political di- water, laws on water alloca- legal framework in the “prop- are inadequate, fragmented extraction, Dr. Singh stressed water by regulating use of
ance
anc are Andhra Pradesh, Ta- vide as States expressed their tion and privatisation of er perspective,” thet Prime and need urgent reform. It is a participatory mechanism of extraction.”
electricity for its extraction
mil Nadu, Kerala, Punjab, concerns,” said Minister for services, would not be re- Minister said it would be an in this context that the sug- pricing by the stakeholders He underscored the need for
Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pra- Water Resources Harish Ra- drafted. Only slight modifica- umbrella statement of gener- gestion has been made for a themselves and treating urgent and pragmatic deci-
desh, Madhya Pradesh, Guj- wat after the meeting, “but tions would be made based al principles governing the national legal framework of groundwater as a “common sions in the water sector. For
arat, Jharkhand, the policy has been adopted.” on suggestions from the exercise of legislative, exec- general principles on water,
wate property resource” in a man- securityy is an issue on
“water securit
Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, He said the policy,
olicy, which States. “Their concerns will utive or devolved powers by which, in turn, would pave ner that protected the basic which we have to swim o or
and Tripura. They said this called for setting up a nation- be addressed when the gov- the Centre, States and local the way for essential legisla- needs for drinking water as sink together.”
would impinge on their al legal framework, a regu- ernment takes further steps.” governing bodies. “The cur- tion on water governance in well as farmers’ livelihood.
rights, water being a State