Petition against environmental clearance to Amaravati

Visakhapatnam: Questioning the environmental clearance to Amaravati, the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh State, a petition was filed by the social activist and former IAS officer E.A.S Sharma in the National Green Tribunal.

Sharma had petitioned at NGT seeking the cancellation of the environmental clearance (EC) given by Andhra Pradesh State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority for the construction of new capital city at Amaravati.

The petition has made the Union of India, Capital Region Development Authority, State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority and A.P Pollution Control Board as the respondents.

Sharma, who has been opposing the establishment of new capital city Amaravati of divided Andhra Pradesh state from the starting, challenged the approval of Environmental Clearance by the SEIAA for setting up of the capital in the area of 217.234 sq. km covering 23 villages in Thulluru, Tadepalli and Mangalagiri mandals in Guntur District.

The petitioner said that the development of capital city was being done in the fertility-rich land and ecologically sensitive area, unidentified wetlands, forests, islands, streams and the river Krishna.

He also said that the decision to allow capital at Amaravati is also against the guidelines of the NGT and not in conformity with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Ebvironment and Forests.