NGT stays PRLIS; asks Telangana to get Centre's nod

Hyderabad: In a jolt to the Telangana state government, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday ordered a stay on the construction of Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation project scheme (PRLIS) until environmental clearances were obtained from the Centre.

According to D. Madhuri Reddy, counsel for the Andhra Pradesh government in the NGT, the southern bench of the tribunal in Chennai issued orders to this effect on Friday. The AP government had impleaded in a petition filed by a resident of Mahbubnagar district in the NGT in August this year against the project, alleging environmental violations.

However, TS irrigation officials said that NGT has only issued 'interim orders' and allowed the TS government to raise its objections on this issue. They said NGT has posted the case for hearing on November 24 to raise objections on the report of joint committee which inspected the PRLIS. They said it's not final disposal of the case by the NGT.

In July, the NGT had ordered the constitution of the joint committee to inspect project works following the petition filed by D. Chandramouleswara Reddy, a farmer from Kadapa, along with others from Rayalaseema and Prakasam, Guntur and Krishna districts against the project.

In the petition, the AP government alleged that the TS government ‘dubiously and artificially’ divided the PRLIS into two phases – irrigation (83.9 tmc ft) and drinking water with evaporation losses (6.1 tmc ft) – to evade legal scrutiny. It complained that the TS government was taking up irrigation project works under the guise of drinking water project works.

The NGT's joint committee inspected project works in September and submitted a report in October first week stating that the TS government had taken up irrigation works in the PLRIS, instead of permitted drinking water component works. The NGT said it was a violation of the  Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2016. The joint committee suggested imposition of an environmental compensation of Rs 3,70,87,500 on Telangana state.

Following this, the NGT Chennai bench ordered a stay on PRLRIS works. "We are satisfied that there is prima facie case and balance of convenience in favour of the applicant and if the relief is not granted, then there will be irreparable and irreversible injury will be caused to the environment and as such in order to protect the environment, the Telangana state government has to be restrained by an interim order of injunction from proceeding with the project without completing the process of obtaining environmental clearance as required under EIA notification, 2016. So, the Telangana state government is restrained from proceeding with the PLRIS as it stands now pending before the MoEF&CC for environment clearance as a combined project as required under EIA Notification, 2016," the bench comprising Justice K. Ramakrishnan and Dr K. Satyagopal noted.

The bench stated, "The preliminary objection raised by the Telangana state government is not sustainable and the same is rejected and hold that the application is maintainable and not barred by limitation.”