HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) practically trashed the Telangana state government on its commitment to environmental protection, and following the laws of the land. On Thursday the Tribunal had castigated the state for deliberately ignoring mandatory environmental clearances and attempting to bypass them for the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), as well as the Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme (DLIS).
In its 48-page order in a case that came as a booster to Andhra Pradesh’s request that work on the projects be stopped, the NGT made repeated references to how Telangana did not follow the law of the land, sought to get away, and even presented incorrect claims about the projects.
Among the terms used by the NGT to describe Telangana’s approach to PRLIS and DLIS were ‘wilful violations’, ‘utter disregard’ of the law, and ‘false undertakings’ given by the state.
The Green Tribunal viewed Telangana’s claims that PRLIS was primarily a drinking water project and questioned the need for the project as the areas that PRLIS promised to serve, were already covered under the Mission Bhagiratha drinking water supply programme. “This fact is not specifically denied by State of Telangana,” the NGT said.
It said because of a previous challenge to the project, the state gave a “false undertaking which made the applicant to withdraw the case,” and then continued work without environmental clearance.
“The above act of giving an undertaking for the sake of getting out of the clutches of the Courts and later not proceeding with the Environmental Clearance only goes to show that the State of Telangana in utter disregard to the Courts/Tribunals had proceeded with the illegal construction of irrigation project without obtaining” the permissions, the NGT said.
The tribunal also referred to the Kaleshwaram project, which it said too was claimed by the state to be designed to supply drinking water. Referring to a previous case before it on Kaleshwaram, the NGT, in its Thursday’s orders said Telangana “contended that primarily it (Kaleshwaram) is the project for water supply and water management and irrigation is subsidiary or incidental part of the project.”
It said it could not agree with Telangana’s contention that the State did not proceed with the irrigation component in the project, as this was integral to the project and if the State’s contention was agreed to, then it “will defeat the law.”
