Admitting a petition of the Agami Odisha, an apolitical forum of Odisha, on the ongoing construction of barrages upstream the Mahanadi by the Chhattisgarh Government, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Eastern Bench, on Tuesday sought a reply from the Centre, Odisha and Chhattisgarh by February 22.
Justice SP Wandi and Expert Member Dr Prof PC Mishra of the NGT issued the order.
The Agami Odisha has prayed for the NGT’s urgent intervention in the matter of construction of barrages and direction to the Chhattisgarh Government to stop all projects till a proper study is done on the cumulative impact on the river’s ecological flow.
It has argued that the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has given the environment impact assessment clearance to the upcoming projects in Chhattisgarh without consulting the Odisha Government.
The Agami Odisha has also stated that no such clearance should be given without public hearing.
It has demanded that the Centre assess the cumulative and downstream impact of the projects since there is no doubt that any project in upper Mahanadi would have an adverse impact on Odisha.