The Government of Andhra Pradesh government moved the Supreme Court challenging the National Green Tribunal (NGT)order which has set aside the Environmental Clearance (EC) granted to Avulapalli Reservoir.
The challenge was put before a bench comprising of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha and Justice JB Pardiwala by Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi.
The bench has listed the matter on May 17.
Mukul rohtagi said that his is an extraordinary case milord. We are challenging it.
He added that the reservoir in question is for ₹3000 crores and our EC has been cancelled. Monsoon is coming. Appeal filed yesterday.
The CJI agreed to list it since it is a public project.
On May 11,the NGT at Chennai had, quashed the EC granted to Avulapalli Reservoir by Andhra Pradesh’s State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
The NGT had also imposed a penalty of ₹100 crores on the State’s Water Resource Department.
ot was observed by a bench of Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Dr Satyagopal Korlapati that it was disturbing to note that a government department can implement an irrigation project by resorting to falsehood, misrepresentation and cheating the SEIAA in gross violation of environmental norms.
“The tribunal said that it is extremely disturbing to note that a Government Department, in gross violation of the environmental laws, can go to the extent to implement an Irrigation Project by resorting to falsehood, misrepresentation and cheating the SEIAA.
The NGT was disposing appeals by farmers, that questioned the validity of the EC of the project.
The appeal was primarily based on the argument that the EC was obtained solely for the Avulapalli balancing reservoir with a capacity of 2.50 TMCFT, whereas the relevant Government Orders (GOs) proposed the construction of three reservoirs to connect the Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi to the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi.