Polavaram backwaters impact: Telangana to move Supreme Court

AP had already given its commitment for the joint survey to assess submergence area.

Hyderabad: The State government is firm on moving the Supreme Court by filing an interlocutory application for execution of the proposed joint survey of the area facing the risk of submergence with the backwater of Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram project. AP had already given its commitment for the joint survey to assess submergence area. Despite repeated requests from the state, AP had failed to facilitate this.

“It is close to two years since AP had agreed for the Joint survey intended for mapping the area being affected by submergence, but nothing concrete has happened so far. We are seriously weighing the option of knocking the doors of the Supreme Court,” a senior official confirmed.

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The union government has filed a compliance affidavit before the Supreme Court on September 1 this year stating that AP has given its consent for the joint survey being sought by Telangana and the concerns raised by Telangana would be addressed, they said.

But the government of AP was not all serious about it. The State Engineer -in-Chief, irrigation C Muralidhar had requested both the Central Water Commission and the Polavaram Project Authority to facilitate the joint survey and help resolve the issue.

An interlocutory application would be filed soon in the Supreme Court for execution of compliance affidavit, said the officials. Telangana had already stressed the need for formation of protection bunds as recommended in the approved DPR of the Polavaram project.

The State also called for conducting a public hearing afresh as some 954 acres of area was coming under submergence with the water impounded in the project at the Full Reservoir Level (FRL).