Reply affidavity by the CPCB on Polavaram project, 31/08/2021
Reply affidavit filed on behalf of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in the matter of Pentapati Pullarao Vs Union of India & Others, 31/08/2021.
The report said that M/s Indira Sagar (Polavaram) multipurpose project, is an irrigation project located in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh and obtained Environmental Clearance, October 25, 2005 and modified, March 9, 2009. The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) issued Consent to Establish (CTE) to the project, October 18, 2005.
That the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has been involved in the interstate issues of the project with Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chhattisgarh and issued stop work order, February 2011 to the Polavaram project authority and subsequently issued abeyance orders from time to time.
The project authorities have said that cofferdam construction is the general practice in irrigation projects and in the case of Polavaram irrigation project, the submergence of upstream villages during the monsoon season and due to cofferdam, would be attended by the Revenue Department and by the Polavaram project authorities.
Also, the total land required for the project is 46,060 hectares comprising 3279 hectares of forest land to meet the forest reference level (FRL) capacity and proposed resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) accordingly for upstream villages.