The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has faulted the Andhra Pradesh government for not facilitating the visit of a team constituted by it on the directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) site even four months after the formal request and several reminders till date.
“The visit of the river board team is mandatory as part of implementing the order of NGT given on February 24 this year in an interlocutory application filed on violation of the green tribunal’s earlier order dated October 29, 2020. It’s necessary to ascertain whether or not there are any violations of NGT directions as being pointed out by Telangana repeatedly,” a senior official of the river board told The Hindu.
In a letter addressed to the Secretary of Water Resources Department of AP a couple of days back, member of the river board H.K. Meena has drawn Andhra Pradesh’s attention to a recent letter written to it by Telangana in the matter and attached a copy of it along with a few pictures on the work reportedly being done at the RLIS site on the foreshores of Srisailam reservoir in Kurnool district.
The river board reminded the Andhra Pradesh government that the NGT had told it (KRMB) that it was at “liberty to go into the question of violation of the tribunal order, and if it is found that there is any violation, it is also at liberty to take appropriate action against Andhra Pradesh in accordance with the law.”
The KRMB member said in order to implement the directions of NGT, the board had constituted a team to visit the site of the proposed RLIS. “Accordingly, the team leader and member of the board had requested Andhra Pradesh government several times to nominate a nodal officer and facilitate the visit of the team to the project site.”
However, the board pointed out that Andhra Pradesh government has not facilitated the visit of the team to the project site so far “citing various reasons.” As Andhra Pradesh government has not facilitated the visit of the river board team to the project site, it could not ascertain whether there are violations of the NGT directions.
The board directed Andhra Pradesh government one more time not to take up construction of the project until the detailed project report (DPR) is submitted and appraised by the KRMB and the Central Water Commission (CWC) -- and sanctioned by the Apex Council.