VIJAYAWADA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to be present before the bench for the next hearing on November 7, after it considered the report of the joint inspection committee, which found non-compliance of the recommendations made with respect to environmental violations such as illegal dumping, poor plantation and others in the project execution.
The tribunal also questioned the State government and the PPA as to why they have not followed the protocol of rehabilitation of the project affected families before construction of the cofferdam.
The principal bench of the tribunal comprising Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Justice Wangdi, Justice Ramakrishnan and Dr Nagin Nanda, heard two petitions on Friday filed by Pentapati Pulla Rao and Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy raising concern over environmental violations in the Polavaram irrigation project execution.
The bench considered the joint inspection report, which the tribunal sought in its previous order on May 24, submitted by the Central Pollution Control Board, Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the district collector of West Godavari.
The report found that the project proponent PPA did not comply with the recommendations made by the committee in its earlier visit and expressed ‘displeasure’.
Justice Wangdi asked the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest its stand on the report of the joint inspection committee and the steps initiated by it against the project proponent for failing to comply with the recommendations.
The counsel appearing for the Union ministry, the State and the PPA sought time to respond, but the request was declined because the committee confirmed violations in the project execution. Considering the violations and inaction on the part of PPA, the NGT directed the CEO to be present for the next hearing and posted the matter to November 7.