Permission to Adani projects in the agency area is illegal: EAS Sarma

He noted that the decision to give the go ahead to Adani hydro pumped storage projects in Parvatipuram agency and Alluri Sitaramaraju district was in violation of the acts.

Visakhapatnam: Former Secretary to Government of India EAS Sarma has observed that permitting Adani projects in agency area is nothing but violation of PESA and forest rights act, and urged the state government to withdraw the decision immediately.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy here on Sunday, he noted that the decision to give the go ahead to Adani hydro pumped storage projects in Parvatipuram agency and Alluri Sitaramaraju district was in violation of the acts. Under the law, prior permission should be obtained at gram sabhas and the state government had no right to take arbitrary decisions on such projects, he said.

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“The Supreme Court has given the ruling in April 2013 declaring that the Odisha government giving permission for bauxite mining to Vedanta company in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts without the consent of the gram sabhas was illegal, after which the project was rejected by gram sabhas in 11 villages there. Apart from this, permission for private company projects in scheduled areas, and giving land on lease is violation of land transfer act. Already such a decision in Ananthagiri mandal of Visakhapatnam district was annulled in the Samata case of 1997,” he recalled.

Dr. Sarma also pointed out it was not proper to give projects to Adani company, for, according to the National Hydro Electricity Policy, sanctioning hydro projects to private companies without competition is invalid.