Live
- 63 pc voter turnout in Odisha
- Musk's SpaceX is quick to build in Texas, slow to pay its bills
- TCS announces to create global AI centre of excellence in France
- 4,000 animal and plant species affected by smuggling worldwide
- Hooda questions BJP on rejection of demand for Ahir Regiment in Army
- Poling complete in peaceful manner in Gadwal and Alampur Segments.
- Beyond Politics: PM Modi's Gurdwara visit signals his deep respect for Sikh culture, values
- Polling peaceful in Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, provisional figures indicate highest turnout since 1996
- WB offers quick access to 10 pct of undisbursed loans for Bangladesh's crisis response
- KSCW chief warns Against Sharing Sensitive Information Online
Can Amaravati be raised by 25m?
Is it possible to raise the ground level of the proposed new capital city, Amaravati, by at least 25 metres, from the mean seal level, the AP Government was asked at the ongoing hearing in the National Green Tribunal on Thursday.
New Delhi: Is it possible to raise the ground level of the proposed new capital city, Amaravati, by at least 25 metres, from the mean seal level, the AP Government was asked at the ongoing hearing in the National Green Tribunal on Thursday.
A flummoxed senior counsel of Andhra Pradesh, A K Ganguly was rather taken aback. Appearing on behalf of his clients, EAS Sarma and Srimannarayana, senior counsel, Sanjay Parekh, further questioned the defendant to explain the possibility of raising the ground level by 25 metres to protect the proposed city from flooding in future.
As the historical average of the levels of Kondaveeti Vaagu was nearly 22 metres, the capital city must be above the level for its safety and security. In addition, several underground structures would be coming up, including the water treatment plants in the area.
The existing bund levels of the Vaagu were three to five metres above the 21.7 metres of flood level. Hence, the capital also must be at such a level so that it is secure from inundation, Sanjay Parek argued seeking to know whether it was possible to raise the levels of the land acquired for the capital, at least 10,600 acres, to such a height of safety.
Reiterating that the petitioners were not against the new capital coming up were worried about the threat of inundation to the proposed capital as it was located in alluvial plains which were prone to flooding.
The Tribunal posted the case for Friday.
Sanjay Parekh continued his arguments on Thursday to make a strong pitch for halting the construction work completely on the site.
The proposed site was on the flood plains of the Krishna river and Kondaveet Vaagu, a stream that usually runs riot during the monsoon season was a threat to the emerging capital any day, he said.
The location of the new capital was not only an environmental disaster but also would affect the river flow itself if allowed to come up, he warned.
The Tribunal must step in to halt the irreversible damage to the entire eco-system associated with the flood plains, he had earlier pleaded pointing out that Sivaramakrishnan Committee Report on the captial city suggested, rightly, a different location.
The committee had taken into consideration each and every aspect of the environment, the flood plains and the alluvial soils along with the agricultural potential of the area and recommended that the new capital should be located in a backward arid land and yet the State Government ignored.
