A Parliamentary panel has said that the proposed National Water Framework Law will "lack teeth" if the subject 'water' is not brought under the Concurrent List of Constitution, and suggested to the Centre to initiate the "much-needed" consultations with varous states on the issue.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources also pitched for winding up "expeditiously" the process of enacting the draft Law and the River Basin Management Bill - which are being examined by a panel of experts headed by Mihir Shah, former Planning Commission member.
"...The Committee are, however, of the opinion that the proposed National Water Framework Law will lack teeth if the subject 'water' is not brought under the Concurrent List of Constitution, for the implementation of the proposed Framework Law will require coordinated, consultative action on the part of both the Centre and the States.
"The committee, therefore, recommends that steps be initiated by the government to again begin the much-needed consultations with the states on the issue of bringing 'water' in the Concurrent List of Constitution," the Committee said in its ninth report on 'Demands for Grants' presented in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha today.
The Committee also observed that "most of the states" were "opposed" to the proposal, and sought from the Water Resources Ministry names of such states, and the grounds for their opposition to the idea.
While water supplies, irrigation, drainage and embankments and storage fall in the State List, issues like development of inter-state rivers come under the Union List.
