New Delhi: The Supreme Court (SC) is likely to give its directives with regard to an original lawsuit filed by Odisha against the controversial Indira Sagar Polavaram multi-purpose project being carried out by Andhra Pradesh (AP) on River Godavari.
A bench of apex court comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice S Abdul Nazeer and Justice Sanjiv Khanna has ordered for listing of Polavaram matter post winter vacations for directions.
“List for directions along with original suit and connecting matters immediately on reopening of ensuing winter vacation,” the bench observed.
Significantly, the apex court directed for listing of the matter after a special mention by senior counsel Gopal Subramanium who pleaded for early hearing of the matter.
The court will be on winter vacations from December 19 to January 5.
Earlier, the SC had adjourned the matter July 9 after hearing a plea filed by state of Odisha against Union government’s decision to keep ‘stop work’ order to controversial Indira Sagar Polavaram project in abeyance.
The counsel appearing for Odisha had opposed the extension given to the Polavaram project by the Minister of Environment and Forest. The state counsel pleaded in the court to take up the interim application filed against the Union government’s decision of keeping ‘stop work’ order in abeyance.
However, the counsel appearing for AP submitted to the court that he needed some time to go through the case as he had taken up the case a few days ago. He pleaded in the court to give him six weeks’ time. The bench had decided to take up the matter after four weeks but the matter was not heard.
It is to be mentioned here that Odisha had filed an original lawsuit in the SC in 2011 against the AP government’s decision to build multi-purpose Polavaram project on Godavari citing that the project will lead to submergence of huge area in the state and many tribal people will lose their homes and lands. During the hearings, Odisha has challenged that the process of environment clearance to the project has not been followed. It submitted to the court that public hearing was not conducted in the affected areas before granting environment clearance to the project. Odisha demanded a ban on the construction of Polavaram project.