Green tribunal seeks list of Chhattisgarh projects from Odisha government

BHUBANESWAR: The National Green Tribunal has asked Odisha government to prepare a comprehensive list of all the projects approved by its Chhattisgarh counterpart in the last five years.

The Tribunal’s Eastern Zone Bench at Kolkata has also asked the State Government to submit a list of proposals pending Environment Clearances on Mahanadi river basin which are likely to affect the downstream ecology of the river in Odisha.

The direction came as the Chhattisgarh Government remained unrepresented before the Tribunal on Thursday although it is the principal respondent in the case which was filed by Sudarshan Das.

The petitioner had stated that a large number of projects were sanctioned by Chhattisgarh Government involving use of water of Mahanadi and its tributaries in the neighbouring State. These projects have been granted Environment Clearances in the last five years by Chattisgarh State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change allegedly without considering either the cumulative impact or effect on the downstream population due to significant diversion of water from Mahanadi and its tributaries in Chattisgarh, he added.

The Odisha Government informed the Tribunal that it has already approached the Supreme Court on water sharing dispute against Chhattisgarh and the present case before Tribunal is different in its merit than the case pending before the apex court.

The Tribunal has asked Chhattisgarh counsel to appear on next date of hearing on July 6 failing which it may pass adverse order and proceed ex parte.