HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court will resume hearing on a writ petition filed by the Telangana government, urging it to restrain the Andhra Pradesh government from going ahead with the Polavaram-Banakacherla and Polavaram-Nallamalasagar link projects, on Monday.
According to officials, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy will personally attend the hearing.
It may be mentioned here that a two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, started hearing the petition on January 5. The bench then questioned the maintainability of the Telangana government’s petition. It also suggested mediation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to resolve the dispute over Polavaram expansion works.
Appearing on behalf of the Telangana government, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi strongly opposed the projects taken up by Andhra Pradesh government.
Singhvi also argued that the petition was maintainable as the issue should not be considered a water dispute and it does not fall under the purview of any tribunal under the Interstate River Water Disputes Act.
Appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government, senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Balbir Singh said that the detailed project report (DPR) was sanctioned only after taking into consideration the comments of Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Telangana was deemed to have consented to the Polavaram project, which was started in 2004 as per Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, they added.
The government of Telangana challenged the projects on the grounds that the proposed projects violate interstate water sharing agreements, provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 and Tribunal Awards.
It sought directions to the Union government and Polavaram Project Authority to stop the works and Central Water Commission to restrain appraising the DPR of the proposed projects.