Telangana approaches HC for vacation of NGT stay on PRRLI project

The Telangana State government has moved the High Court at Hyderabad on Monday seeking stay of the order passed by National Green Tribunal stopping all construction activity undertaken for Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Project in the forest as well as non-forest areas in the Narlapoor-Anjanagiri Balancing Reservoir area of Mahbubnagar district.

Telangana Advocate General K Ramakrishna Reddy moved a plea for lunch motion before the division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A Shankar Narayan for an urgent hearing since the State government was keen on completing the prestigious lift irrigation project expeditiously.

Counsel for petitioner in the NGT case B Rachna Reddy opposed the plea of the AG, saying the High Court had no jurisdiction to entertain the plea as under the NGT Act it was the Supreme Court that is the appellate authority to decide on those cases. The division bench ruled out lunch motion but agreed to hear the matter on Tuesday.

It may be recalled that the NGT Chennai bench had pronounced an order staying all works on December 13 while hearing a petition filed by B Harshavardhan of Hyderabad who had complained that the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation project did not have any of the mandatory clearances required prior for commencement of construction,

such as environmental clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, clearance from the National Board for Wildlife and Forest Clearance under Section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 etc.

He had pointed out that the Narlapoor-Anjanagiri Reservoir area included part of the Rajiv Tiger Reserve Forest that holds a significant tiger population and the government was cutting forest cover without any thought regarding these aspects.