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NGT halts work
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the AP government to halt all work of its new capital till it secures the environmental clearances.
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the AP government to halt all work of its new capital till it secures the environmental clearances.
Continuing its hearing of the petition filed by P Srimannarayana in this regard, the bench comprising Justice U D Salvi and Justice Ranjan Chatterjee here on Saturday said the AP government should first identify the wetlands and the plain areas in the planned area and demark the same for any construction work.
Secondly, without securing the environmental clearance in this regard no work should be taken up, including levelling of the ground.
Repeatedly asking AP government counsel A K Ganguly whether such areas of concern had been identified, the bench asked the petitioner to furnish proof of the ongoing works, if any.
Petitioner's counsel Sanjay Bhargav contended that the government was going ahead with the works and had already laid the foundation stone and conducted the 'Bhoomi Puja' in a big way.
Now it had even announced that yet another Puja would be held on October 22, the Vijaya Dasami day, to mark the beginning of the construction work of the core capital and was planning to invite several dignitaries, foreign delagates and political leaders.
The bench insisted to know whether the petitioner had any proof of the same to which Sanjay Bhargav replied that the work was on at Uddandarayunipalem where the function was proposed to be held.
The bench turned its attention towards the defence lawyer and asked whether the government had made any efforts to identify the wetland and lands that could be submerged or flooded during monsoons.
The state government replied that it was in the process of doing so. At this juncture, the Tribunal ordered that all work be halted till all clearances are in place.
It also directed the Ministry of Environment to file its rejoinder by November 6, the date of next hearing. The petitioner also contended that fertile lands yielding three crops in a year had been taken away from the farmers and it would have a disastrous effort on the very ecosystem.
