NGT issued notices to the Telugu States

The National Green Tribunal at Delhi on Monday issued notices to the AP, Telangana state, Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments and the Centre on an application seeking inspection of claims of the AP government that the Purushothapatnam lift irrigation project was part of the Polavaram project.

A three-member bench comprising Justice Dr Jawed Rahim, Justice Wangdi and Dr Nagin Nanda was hearing the application by Mr Madicharla Satyanarayana and Mr M. Ramakrishna alleging that the AP government had been constructing the Purushothapatnam lift irrigation project illegally.Mr K. Sravan Kumar, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that the state government had initiated the project without environment clearance and without announcing rehabilitation and resettlement packages and also without hydrology clearance, interstate agreement from the Centre and upstream states.

He urged the bench to direct the authorities to conduct independent inspection regarding claims of AP government that the Purushothapatnam project was part of Polavaram project.He also urged the tribunal to direct the project authorities to take up construction after conducting environment impact assessment and fixing of responsibility for committing illegalities and misleading by officials of Andhra Pradesh.

While issuing notices to the ministry of environment and forests, Polavaram Project Authority, Union water resource ministry, tribal welfare secretaries of AP, Telangana state, Odisha and Chhattisgarh and the collector of East Godavari. The bench directed them to reply by the third week of July.