The Telangana State Pollution Control Board should postpone the public hearing on environmental impact assessment of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and conduct a fresh hearing by making foolproof arrangements, former minister D. Sridhar Babu demanded.
Alleging that there were procedural lapses in the conduct of public hearing conducted here on Wednesday, he asked the PCB to install CCTV cameras and deploy observers from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests at the public hearing.
He ridiculed the State government for conducting public hearing when the project work had already begun in various parts of the region.
‘Suppressing rights’
He charged the State government with suppressing the rights of the project oustees and having them attacked by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) goons.
The government has failed to provide proper compensation to those who were set to lose their land and be displaced due to the project, the Congress leader added.
Charging the TRS leaders with having tutored the people who attended the public hearing to ensure that they only speak in a positive manner without allowing any negative opinion from the farmers, he said that the public hearing should allow the people to express their feelings. But, it was not happening in Telangana, he alleged.
‘Closer to oustees’
He also found fault with the conduct of public hearing in towns far away from the settlements of project oustees. Further, the government had failed to issue a notification on the public hearing on the environmental impact assessment at least 30 days ahead of the proposed date of hearing by inviting NGOs and farmers. organizations and others, the senior Congress leader pointed out.
