The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) to show documents that the additional land acquired for rehabilitation and resettlement is, in fact, a part of the project area.
The NGT has given the PPA time till November 7 to file an affidavit on the additional land required for rehabilitation and resettlement.
The PPA seems to have incurred the wrath of the joint inspection committee, which comprised officials from the Pollution Control Board and environment experts.
NGT Principal Bench, comprising its Chairman Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, judicial member S.P. Wangdi, and expert member Nagin Nanda, examining the two petitions filed by Pentapati Pulla Rao and Ponguleti Sudhkar Reddy, took into consideration the committee’s report in New Delhi on Friday.
Joint panel report
The report submitted by Joint Chief Environmental Engineer of the A.P. Pollution Control Board B. Siva Prasad, Regional Director and scientist of the Central Pollution Control Board M. Madhsudanan, Ministry of Environment and Forests scientist C. Palpandi, and West Godavari Collector R. Mutyala Raju, complained to the NGT that the PPA was not complying with the recommendations made by the committee.
With regard to the issue of Environmental Clearance (EC) pertaining to the additional land acquired for the project in accordance with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, the committee recommended to the tribunal to order the PPA to provided documents showing that the additional land acquired was actually part of the project area.
Eco concerns
On the issue of dumping of earth and rock in the eco-sensitive zone of the Papikonda National Park, the joint committee told the NGT that the Central Forest Department, New Delhi, had asked the Andhra Pradesh government to apply for fresh approval on the issue.
