Supreme Court paves way for Kaleswaram project in Telangana

Hyderabad: In a major relief to the Telangana government, the Supreme Court on Friday refused to intervene in an order granted by the Hyderabad High Court suspending the order of the National Green Tribunal at Delhi staying the construction of the Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project.

The NGT bench at Chennai had on October 5, 2017 directed the Telangana government to stay the construction of the project. The bench was dealing with an application by Md. Hayath Uddin, a resident of Medak district, who claimed the project did not have clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Aggrieved by the order, the state government moved the Hyderabad High Court, contending that the Principal Bench of the NGT passed the order in the absence of the expert member on the bench. TS irrigation minister T. Harish Rao termed the Supreme Court quashing the petition against the Kaleswaram project on Friday, a slap on the face of those opposing irrigation projects in the state.

Mr Rao, who attended the court hearing in Delhi, briefed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao about the apex court's verdict.  An elated Chief Minister directed the minister and  officials to speed up the Kaleshwaram work to ensure that deadlines are met. Mr Harish Rao came down heavily on the opposition Congress party and TJAC chairman Prof  Kodandaram were they the petitioners alleging that they were trying to stall the projects by filing cases in  courts. He warned that the TRS will expose the conspirators who are behind these cases on the floor of the Assembly in the ensuing Budget session in March.

"Congress and Kodandaram are no different. Both are conspiring to stall irrigation projects taken up by the TRS government for the benefit of farmers and to solve the drinking water problem permanently in the state. Though they are filing hundreds of cases in the Supreme Court and High Court and approaching Green Tribunals in Chennai and Delhi against the projects, we are overcoming one by one. Because we are sincere and  committed, we are winning the cases. The latest SC ruling will pave the way for completion of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in time, the lifeline of Telangana," he said.