KARIMNAGAR: In the wake of political allegations over the Manair River Front (MRF) project, a petition filed in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by a farmer over the safety of the Lower Manair Dam has been dismissed. Irrigation officials said blasting activities, being carried out under a controlled system, are continuing as planned.
Executive Engineer of Irrigation Circle-2, P Nagabhushan Rao, told TNIE that the dam faces no threat. “Controlled blasting is being done with the approval of a three-member committee of chief engineers. This committee routinely inspects and approves such activity at dams, cable bridges and high-tension lines,” he said. He added that each blast is also cleared by the Karimnagar Commissioner of Police.
A few days ago, the NGT’s southern zone bench in Chennai dismissed the petition and directed the petitioner to pay a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for filing a frivolous case and wasting judicial time. Of this, Rs 50,000 is to be used for tree plantation, Rs 25,000 is to purchase environmental law books and amenities for the Bar and the rest will be used to improve facilities for litigants visiting the tribunal. The district collector has been asked to recover the amount.
It may be recalled that the petition was filed by a farmer from Veenavanka mandal, alleging that the MRF project was being executed without proper environmental safeguards and that the blasting activity was endangering the river ecosystem and dam structure.
However, the petitioner later wrote to the tribunal seeking to withdraw the case. “I filed the case against the illegalities committed by the previous government. The present government has shown a willingness to implement all safeguards and environmental protection measures. I request that the case filed in 2023 be considered for withdrawal,” the farmer said.