Hyderabad: Claims and counterclaims by the TS government and the petitioner on the dispute pending before the National Green Tribunal (South Zone) at Chennai pertaining to Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme continued on Wednesday with the petitioner claiming that the Tribunal has granted stay on all further construction activity for PRLIS in the reserved forest area.
However, the Chief Engineer of the project claimed that there was no stay.
A two-member bench of the Tribunal on Wednesday heard the petition by B. Harshvardhan Reddy challenging the government going ahead with first phase of PRLIS project that passes through Amrabad-Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve without forest or environmental clearances by clearing about 279 hectares of forest.
When TS additional A-G J. Ramachandra Rao urged the Tribunal to adjourn the hearing, Sanjay Upadhya, senior counsel for the petitioner, objected and placed video clippings of the speech of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao with regard to cases pending before the NGT on PRLIS.
They also placed some satellite images to show that works has been going on in reserve forest area. Mr Rao told the tribunal that they were not constructing anything in the reserved forest area.
He also placed an affidavit on behalf of the Rural Water Supply Department in which it was stated that 'PRLIS is required to be constructed for them to be able to supply drinking water.
B. Rachana Reddy, counsel for the petitioner said that the bench admitted their miscellaneous application for appointment of a independent local commission comprising of experts to visit the places of work of the PRLIS.
While adjourning the case to April 17, the bench asked the AAG to file an affidavit explaining that the present works of the PRLIS are the only for drinking water and not for an irrigation project.
