Counter plea against Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme: NGT to Telangana government

Hyderabad: The Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday granted the TS government time till August 23 to file counter affidavit on an application moved before it challenging its decision to go ahead with the first phase of the Ranga Reddy Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme without forest or environmental clearances.

A two member bench comprising Justice Nambiar and P.S. Rao was hearing the application by B. Harshvardhan Reddy.

The bench had earlier granted an interim order on Mr Reddy’s plea by constituting an independent commission to ascertain whether the ongoing work under the first phase of the scheme were for the purpose of drinking water or for irrigation.

The order of the NGT bench was suspended by the Hyderabad High Court on an appeal by the TS government that contended that the NGT order was passed in the absence of an expert member on the bench.

While staying the NGT’s order, the High Court had made it clear that its interim order will preclude the NGT to pass similar order when an expert member was present in the bench.

The NGT bench hearing case on Wednesday took serious exceptions on averments made by the state government in the affidavit before the High Court in which malafides and bias were imputed against it.

The NGT bench asked counsel for the TS government to file separate affidavit withdrawing the remarks against it.