Supreme Court upholds environmental clearances for Telangana irrigation projects

The Supreme Court upheld the validity of environmental clearances granted to Telangana's Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Seethamma Sagar Multipurpose Project and Gouravelli Reservoir. While striking down the Centre's 2021 Office Memorandum prospectively, it protected approvals already granted to ongoing projects.

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Wednesday provided major relief to Telangana’s flagship irrigation projects by upholding the validity of environmental clearances already granted to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Seethamma Sagar Multipurpose Project and Gouravelli Reservoir, removing a key legal hurdle to their execution.

A Bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant struck down the Centre’s 2021 Office Memorandum (OM) issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, but made it clear that the verdict would apply prospectively. The court held that environmental clearances granted under the 2021 OM would continue to remain legally valid, ensuring that ongoing projects are not affected.

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The ruling effectively removes uncertainty surrounding the three projects, which faced legal challenges over the validity of their environmental approvals. The court also clarified that completed projects and those already under construction would not be affected by its verdict, ensuring there would be no legal interruption to ongoing works.

At the same time, the apex court laid down stricter norms for future projects, holding that prior environmental clearance would be mandatory before any new project is taken up. It observed that executive orders or office memorandums cannot override or substitute statutory provisions and said any exemption from environmental laws in exceptional circumstances must be backed by a legally issued government notification.

The judgment is expected to accelerate work on the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Seethamma Sagar Multipurpose Project and Gouravelli Reservoir by removing doubts over their environmental clearances, providing a significant boost to Telangana’s irrigation infrastructure.