HYDERABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday ordered constitution of a committee with representation from Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board, Godvari Project Development Authority and Bhadradri-Kothagudem district collector to assess the damage that might be caused to Bhadrachalam Ram Temple, Bhadrachalam town and the villages which are in the flood-prone areas once Polavaram Project comes up.
The NGT issued the orders on a petition filed by BJP leader Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy that the temple, the town of Bhadrachalam and villages off Godavari bank faced a threat of flooding even now, in the absence of the project.
It would be anybody’s guess the havoc the backwaters would play once the project comes up, he contended in his petition.
He recalled that the Telangana government too expressing concern over the construction of the Polavaram project and wanted to know the rationale behind the project at the cost of human misery.
The committee that has been ordered has also been tasked to study other areas in Telangana State that are likely to be affected by the Polavarm Project.
In his petition, Sudhakar Reddy contended that if the AP government constructed the Polavaram Project, it should be in such a way that it would not harm the interests of Telangana at any cost.
He had suggested decreasing the height of the project, construction of embankments if any and so on.