Singapore, Malaysia resolve 20-year land, water disputes

Singapore and Malaysia said on Monday they have resolved long-standing disputes over land and water that have plagued ties between the two neighbours for the past 20 years.

Malaysia will relocate its railway station near Singapore’s central business district to an area close to one of the two bridges linking the two countries, freeing up land in the city-state for redevelopment.

Malaysia has sovereignty over the site on which the Tanjong Pagar station is located, as well as land on both sides of the railway tracks that run through Singapore, under agreements dating back to British colonial rule.

Singapore said in turn it would not seek to extend a water agreement dating back to 1961, which allowed the city-state to buy water from the southern Malaysian state of Johor at below-market rates.

Singapore will also hand over the waterworks it operates in Johor to the Malaysian state government when the current agreement lapses.

The agreement between the two countries emerged after a meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“It’s a big breakthrough. It paves the way for closer ties now that long-standing sore points have finally been resolved,” said Citigroup economist Kit Wei Zheng.

The two countries said the Malayan Railway land will be developed by a joint venture between Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah, which will hold 60 percent, and Singapore state investor Temasek, which will own the balance 40 percent.

Other agreements reached by the two countries include the building of a rapid transit link between Singapore and southern Malaysia, and the joint development of an “iconic project” in Malaysia’s Iskandar region by the two countries.

Malaysia has been promoting the Iskandar region, a showcase economic zone just north of Singapore, that it hopes can become a hinterland for its wealthy neighbour just as China’s booming Shenzhen complements neighbouring Hong Kong. The zone has, however, attracted relatively few investments from Singapore.

“The points of agreement would facilitate resolution of the issue which has been outstanding for more than 19 years,” the two countries said in a joint statement.

(Reporting by Kevin Lim; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Supreme Court issues notices to Karnataka, Centre on Sivasamudram project

New Delhi, Aug.21 (ANI): A two-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the Karnataka Government and the Centre to reply within three weeks to an allegation by the Tamil Nadu Government that the Karnataka Government has unilaterally decided to go ahead with Sivasamudram Hydero power project in the Cauvery Basin by violating the directions of Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

The bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam issued the notices.

Senior advocate K Parasaran mentioned the Tamil Nadu Government’s application in which it alleged that instead of putting the control of the project under a neutral agency, the Karnataka Government was executing it through Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd.

Counsel for the Tamil Nadu Government submitted that the Karnataka Governmenty has not accepted the direction of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal that the project has to go through a neutral body like National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC).

It said the Centre had come out with a proposal Cauvery-Mettur Hydro Electrical Project in 1998 by which four projects — ivasamudram, Mekadatu, Rasimanal and Hogenekkal-were to be executed by the NHPC.

While the Sivasamudram and the Mekadatu projects fall within the territory of Karnataka, the Rasimanal and the Hogenekkal projects come under Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu Government has sought a direction to the Centre to execute all the four hydro projects as a package through NHPC or any other appropriate central power generation utility so as to derive maximum benefits of power potential.(ANI)

Pak questions construction of Kishan Ganga Dam by India

Lahore, Apr.13 (ANI): Pakistan has once again questioned the construction of the Kishan Ganga Dam across the Indus River by India.

Addressing a ‘Pak-India Water Disputes’ seminar here, Indus Water Treaty Commissioner Syed Jamaat Ali Shah said Islamabad has conveyed its concerns to New Delhi.

“India could construct only those dams that were included in the Indus Water Treaty,” The Daily Times quoted Shah, as saying.

He informed that an Indo-Pak meeting on water reservoirs in both nations would be held in Pakistan in May. (ANI)

Govt says, Rural court model could be extended to serious offences

New Delhi, Feb.2 (ANI): Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj on Monday indicated that the Government may consider a new tier in the judicial system for dealing with serious offences, depending upon the success of proposed Gram Nyayalayas or Rural mobile courts for land and family disputes.

Speaking after inaugurating a Conference of State Law Secretaries and Registrar Generals of HC on setting up of rural courts, Union Law Minister H.R. Bhardwaj, said:”Gram Nyayalayas will help improve quality of justice for people and reduce the burden of litigation. If they succeed, we have to see if a new tier (of courts) for serious offences can be created.”

Bhardwaj said the move to create rural mobile courts was “an idea for change in the system” aimed at augmentation of judicial system’s strength. The Law Minister said if law secretaries in states want to bring about reform, they can. “If there is sincerity of desire, we can have good results.”

Moreover, the Law Minister also clarified that while setting up the 3,000 mobile courts, the rights of tribals, who have their own traditional legal system and laws, shall be respected.

“Where ever tribals have got their “traditional system,” their rights will be respected and Gram Nyayalayas will not be thrust upon them,” Bharadwaj stated.

The Parliament recently passed a Bill for setting up Gram Nyayalayas which shall have jurisdiction over cases involving land and water disputes, family disputes and compoundable offences.

The courts, headed by first class magistrates, shall have the power to give a maximum punishment of up to one year. (ANI)