Orissa's objections invalid - says AP CM Rosaiah
Sharing another news item that was published in Sify. The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh has been quoted as saying that Orissa's objections are invalid.
Sabyasachi
Orissa's objections on Polavaram project invalid: Rosaiah
Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah on Wednesday asserted that the objections raised by Orissa over the construction of multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project on river Godavari were "not valid."
Replying to a question during a brief interaction with newsmen in the State Secretariat, the Chief Minister said there was no question of Andhra Pradesh conducting a public hearing on the Polavaram project in Orissa and Chattisgarh as directed by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
"How can we conduct a public hearing in those states? We have already taken adequate measures to prevent submergence of land in those states. The MoEF accorded environmental clearance for Polavaram only after that," Rosaiah pointed out.
The Chief Minister said the state government would "reply suitably" to the MoEF letter seeking an explanation on the construction of Polavaram.
"The Irrigation department will be replying to the MoEF letter. I have been trying to talk to Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh since yesterday but could not get across to him. I am writing a letter to Jairam today appraising the need for giving early clearance for Polavaram," Rosaiah added.
The Chief Minister recalled that he had spoken "more than once" with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal requesting them to expedite the process of granting national status for Polavaram.
"Not only Polavaram, we are also requesting national status for Pranahita-Chevella lift irrigation project but it is yet to get some clearances from the Centre," he pointed out.
The source article can be found here: http://sify.com/news/orissa-s-object...dpudhidag.html
Hon'ble Supreme Court declines to stay construction of Pollavaram
The Hon'ble Supreme Court has declined to stay the construction of the Pollavaram dam project. The next hearing is July 19th 2011 and the reports of the expert panel has to be submitted by that date. It is well known that these days the MoEF regularises projects citing the money already sunk in the project by means of construction. So this doesn't augur well for the environment. Pristine forests are going to be lost due to this construction of this dam. I am sharing a PTI article published in The Hindu.
Sabyasachi
Supreme Court refuses to stay Polavaram dam construction
The Supreme Court on Monday turned down Orissa’s plea to stay construction of the controversial Polavaram dam by Andhra Pradesh and directed former Central Water Commission (CWC) member M. Gopalakrishnan to inspect the project along with CWC and submit separate reports to it.
A bench of justices Mukundakam Sharma and A.R. Dave said Mr. Gopalakrishnan would inspect the dam along with present CWC members and submit their reports to the apex court by July 19, the next date of hearing.
The apex court, however, refused to entertain Orissa’s plea for staying the dam’s construction, saying “it will be difficult for us to stay the construction at this stage.”
The bench’s remark came in response to a plea by senior counsel Raju Ramachandran, appearing for Orissa, who insisted that the work should be stopped pending submission of the expert panel’s report.
When the counsel insisted on the stay, the apex court said it can be demolished later if it was found to be built in violation of norms.
The counsel continued to plead that the construction should be stopped as it would not be possible to demolish the dam at a later stage as expectations would be built among the beneficiaries and there would be protest by farmers leading to chaos.
The bench, while refusing to stay the construction, assured the counsel that it would examine the plea if and when a situation arises.
The apex court also allowed technical experts from Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh to be present at the site when the CWC team conducts the inspection.
The bench also said that the reports of Mr. Gopalakrishnan and the CWC would be considered by the court without prejudice to the suits filed by Orissa.
According to Andhra Pradesh government, the project will provide drinking water to three million people, produce 960 MW of power and give 23,500 million cubic feet of water for industrial use.
The source article from The Hindu can be found here: http://www.thehindu.com/news/nationa...cle1687942.ece