The AP Capital Region Development Authority (AP CRDA) and the State government have misled the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by giving false declarations, social activist Bolisetty Satya has alleged.
“ The tribunal has not struck down the case. In fact, it has ordered constitution of two committees – supervisory and implementation – to oversee the implementation of the project. The tribunal has also said that the 251 acres of forest land in the capital region should not be diverted for any other purpose, including for use as parks and recreational activities,” Mr. Satya told a media conference here on Saturday.
The NGT also said that no construction should be undertaken on the flood banks of the Krishna, Mr. Satya said, and demanded that the conditions laid down by the NGT be translated into Telugu and displayed for the understanding of the people.
He said the committee constituted by the government declared the flood plain as “inactive.”
“The flood plain is just a bed of sand accumulated by the flow of the river over millions of years. It would become active whenever there is a flood or rain, and it is a perennial resource,” he argued.
He recalled that 75% of the proposed capital area was inundated in two-metre-deep water during the 2009 floods.
The EIA report also stated that 75% of the project area was located in the flood zone. The capital city should be shifted away from the zone.
Mr. Satya said then CRDA Commissioner N. Srikanth had given a false declaration to the NGT that the proposed capital city area was a barren land and there was no agriculture, and the NGT believed him without any physical verification.
Mr. Satya recalled the case of the Singur Nano project and said that construction started based on false declaration and forced land acquisition. But after 10 years, the project was shelved, he added.
“If the government and the CRDA continue with their false declarations and land grabbing, the Amaravati project would also meet a similar fate,” he warned.