Big relief for Andhra pradesh

Hyderabad December 15 : Big relief for Andhra as green tribunal halts Telangana Palamur lift irrigation project. The southern bench of National Green Tribunal at Chennai on Wednesday,stayed construction of Telangana s flagship Palamur-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS),signaling relief to Andhra Pradesh government that vehemently opposed the project.Chief minister of Andhra pradesh Chandrababu Naidu also took up this issue seriously upto the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Diversion of Krishna water from Srisailam to PRLIS, saying this would hit farmers in the region. The green panel asked Telangana to stop the work on a petition by B Harshavardhan. The bench comprising Justice M S Nambiar,member (judicial) and expert member P S Rao directed Telangana government and its irrigation department to file replies and posted the case for January 17.The petitioner said Telangana was going ahead with the project without mandatory environment clearance, environment impact assessment, forest clearance and assent of National Board for Wildlife. This project eats into Rajiv Tiger Reserve Park in Mahabubnagar district, said Harshavardhan.Any river valley project with a command area of more than 10,000 hectares has to get Centre s nod, he said. The petitioner also quoted contents of letters writ ten by principal chief conservator of forests who wrote to state irrigation department s principal secretary, stating that work at the project site had begun from June and it s a violation of Forest Conservation Act, 1980.