VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday struck down the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the Centre’s decision not to bear the Rs 7,214 crore component of the Polavaram project, which envisages supply of drinking water to Visakhapatnam city.
The PIL was filed by Ramesh Chandra Varma of Amalapuram seeking directions to the Centre to consider the component of drinking water supply to Visakhapatnam city as part of the Polavaram project. When the PIL came up for hearing before the bench of Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N Jayasurya, the petitioner’s counsel M Srirama Rao informed the court that the Centre announced in Parliament that the Rs 7,214 crore component to supply drinking water was part of the Polavaram project. However, the same was dropped from the project later, the petitioner said, adding that the Centre was bound to implement the assurance given in Parliament.
The bench said the courts could not direct the Centre to fulfil an assurance given in Parliament. It also said it could not interfere in the matter and struck down the PIL.
HC STRIKES DOWN PIL AGAINST TREE FELLING
Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday struck down a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions to the government to prohibit the felling of trees. The PIL was filed by social activist Somayajula Ramaganapati Sastry seeking directions to the officials to strictly implement the Water, Land and Trees Act and Forest Acts as trees were being cut down indiscriminately to supply logs to timber depots in Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. The court asked the petitioner to make specific mention of who are felling the trees. The court said it would consider hearing the PIL, if such details were mentioned and struck it down