Hyderabad: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has stayed works on the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS) in Telangana.
For the unversed, Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme is intended to create irrigation potential and drinking water supply in upland areas of Nagarkurnool, Mahabubnagar, Vikarabad, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts.
According to the NGT, the approval process for the uplift scheme project has not been completed, and the objections raised by the Andhra Pradesh government in this regard are valid. However, the Telangana government’s response to the objections is not satisfactory, it said.
The objections raised by the Andhra Pradesh government included bringing to the NGT’s notice that there no allocation of PRLIS in the Krishna water dispute tribunal (KWDT) one and two. It filled an affidavit stating that PRLIS is impacting the environment in both states.
It alleged that the construction of the irrigation project was being carried out by naming the drinking water project in order to evade environmental permits. The allocation made by tribunal two should take into account the projects in Schedule-11 and the availability of water should be ascertained. The Andhra Pradesh government has asked the NGT to intervene in the matter and stop the construction PRLIS project.
NGT clarified that the next steps can only be taken after the approval process of the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment is completed. Until then, the construction of the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme project will remain shut.