UNI

New Delhi, May 1: Kerala has filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Cauvery Water Tribunal Award.

The petitioner state has contended that the allotment of 30 tmc water to the state from Cauvery is ''totally illusory'' and shall destroy the cropping pattern of the state, as the same has been totally neglected by the award.

The impugned award is violative of the Supreme Court order dated May 5, 2006 as the Mukali project, which is half finished has been wrongly injuncted by the tribunal and will adversely affect the local area.

The award has left little scope for future projects in relation to tribals, poor farmers and rain shadow areas, including those in the poverty-stricken Attappaddy valley. The award has virtually foreclosed the future growth and use of water by Kerala from its own basins.

Kerala has also contended that the present project has been stultified and no scope has been left for the future.

The petitioner state has also asked the apex court to stay the operation of the award till the final disposal of the present petition.

Cauvery Water Tribunal had awarded 419 tmc to Tamil Nadu, 270 tmc to Karnataka and 7 tmc to Puducherry.

Kerala was awarded only 30 tmc against a yield, well upwards of 147 tmc and a claim of 99.8 tmc.

The petitioner has challenged the validity of the award and has asked the apex Court to set aside the same. The petition was filed yesterday and is likely to come up for hearing next week.

The states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are dissatisfied with the award and there were widespread protests against the award in Karnataka. Karnataka has already challenged the award in the Supreme Court.

The tribunal has been constituted under the inter-state Water Disputes Act 1956 and Article 262 of the Constitution of India.