AP wants TS deleted from Polavaram plea before NGT

The National Green Tribunal in Delhi on Wednesday directed the Telangana state government and RELA, an NGO, to respond on two applications filed by the AP government seeking to delete the TS government from the hearing of petitions with regard to the Polavaram project and also urging the NGT not to hear petitions against the project till cases pending before the Supreme Court are disposed.

A three-member bench of the NGT, headed by its chairman Justice Swatantra Kumar, was dealing with two applications by the AP government opposing hearing of a petition by the Readiness for Empowerment through Legitimate Action, the NGO from Telangana.

Senior counsel of Supreme Court A.K. Ganguly and AP advocate-general D. Srinivas submitted that consent of the TS government was not required for construction of the Polavaram project since Section 90 (3) of AP Reorganisation Act states that such consent was deemed.

They told the bench that there will not be any submergence in TS after the merger of seven mandals with residuary AP.

Referring to the second application wherein it was urged not to hear petitions against Polavaram project, they contended that the NGT cannot hear the case in view of pendency of nine petitions, including the pleas of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, before the Supreme Court with regard to the project.

They said though the National Environment Appellate Authority cancelled the environmental clearances granted in 2007, the Hyderabad High Court had granted stay on the cancellation.

After hearing the AP government, the bench directed the TS government and RELA to file their objections by October 11.