The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it was ready to appoint an independent agency to conduct public hearing in Odisha and Chhattisgarh over the Indira Sagar Polavaram Project on Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh.
The Polavaram project is under construction in West Godavari District and East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh and its reservoir spreads to parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
During the hearing, the counsel representing Andhra Pradesh said the Odisha government did not want to hold a public hearing on the issue and in such a situation, the government of India was empowered to appoint an independent agency to carry out this work.
“We are living in a democracy and you cannot say that public has some problem but I will not do anything and not hear the public,” the Bench, comprising Justices Madan B. Lokur, S. Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta, told the Centre’s counsel.
The Bench asked the Centre to file an affidavit indicating the terms of reference and parameters on which the public hearing would be conducted in Odisha and Chhattisgarh and posted the matter for hearing on December 3.
Land rights for tribals
In Odisha, the People’s Forum Against Polavaram asked the State government to conduct a detailed survey of areas in Malkangiri district that will be affected by the project. It also demanded the provision of land rights for tribals living in areas that are likely to be affected by the project before the conduct of public hearing on it.
The PFAP is an inter-State forum of activists and organisations protesting against the Polavaram project. Bhala Chandra Sarangi, the convenor of PFAP, alleged that the Odisha Government is not prepared to conduct public hearings. “Till now no detailed survey has been carried out in tribal-dominated areas in Malkangiri district for assessment of possible losses,” he said.
According to Mr. Sarangi, the Odisha government should immediately start grass-roots level survey so that when the Supreme Court orders for public hearing, the real people to be affected can voice their views.
(With PTI Inputs)
