NGT brakes on Palamuru scheme

Hyderabad: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the government to stop the construction of the Palamuru Ranga Reddy lift irrigation scheme with immediate effect.

The NGT Bench - Chennai took serious note of the construction of the Palamuru lift scheme without obtaining environmental clearances. It may be mentioned here that the Andhra Pradesh government had lodged a complaint with the tribunal that the ongoing Palamuru project would create environmental impact in Andhra Pradesh if the project was not stopped.

Andhra Pradesh had contended that the Telangana government did not conduct any environmental impact study so far. Without seeking required environmental clearances, it was going ahead with the project works, they alleged. The AP government also raised the issue of allocation of Krishna water to the lift irrigation scheme. The government said no water has been allocated for the scheme either by KWDT 1 and 2 (Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal).

The TS government claimed that it was constructing the project to address the drinking water needs. But the AP government said that the purpose of the project was to provide irrigation facilities also.

Shocked over the NGT order, the Telangana government is preparing a report to counter the AP arguments against the lift project. Telangana Irrigation officials said that the proposal to construct the lift scheme was conceived in the undivided Andhra Pradesh to address the water problems in old Mahbubnagar, Ranga Reddy and parts of Nalgonda districts. The project has been taken up by utilising Krishna water that was allocated to Telangana.

Taken aback by this development, officials said a meeting of senior officials, irrigation experts and legal experts would be held within two days. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would chair the high-power committee meeting.