The Supreme Court directed the Central government on Tuesday to hold talks between the governments of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for the resolution of water dispute related to Polavaram dam and Godavari river.
Senior Advocate Gopal Subramaniam contended before the Bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Vikram Nath that the project being undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh was in violation of the recommendations of Justice Bachawat Panel.
It said the project would put the citizens of Odisha under the risk of being submerged.
As per the Counsel representing Andhra Pradesh, there has not been a consensus between the states, while Rs 30,000 crore has been spent so far.
The Apex Court then observed that this was a never-ending exercise, since the costs kept going up, even if the project was not developed.
The Bench then pointed out that C.S. Vaidyanathan (Counsel for Telangana) has said the project has gone beyond what was envisaged.
Directing the Union government to bring all stakeholders on board, the Apex Court said the Centre should initiate a meeting between the Chief Secretaries of the states involved, besides their Chief Ministers.
Telling the Ministries of Jal Shakti and Environment to play a pivotal role in these meetings, the top court of the country gave the Centre one month to complete the process and submit a report before it.
The Supreme Court then fixed December 7 as the next date of hearing in the case.
Case title: State of Orissa versus State of Andhra Pradesh Original Suit No.4/2007, State of Chattisgarh versus State of Andhra Pradesh Original Suit No.3/2011
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