Polavaram project: SC refuses to entertain PIL seeking stay on

The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a PIL seeking a stay on the eviction of villagers who are likely to be displaced due to construction of the multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh.
A vacation bench of justices R K Agrawal and Amitava Roy asked petitioner Pentapati Pulla Rao to approach the High Court in Andhra Pradesh for compensation and rehabilitation of the villagers.
"Why can't you approach the High Court there? You go to the High Court," the bench said while declining to pass any interim order on the public interest litigation (PIL).
Rao, in his plea filed through senior advocate Subhodh Markhandeya and advocate K Sravan Kumar said that they are "seeking implementation of the Right to Fair compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, in the context of land acquisition taking place in East Godavari, West Godavari Districts in the state of Andhra Pradesh for the purpose of construction of the Indira Sagar (Polavaram) Multipurpose Irrigation Project, also known as the Polavaram Irrigation Project".

"The Polavaram Irrigation Project affects 299 villages in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Chhattisgarh and displaces more than 3 lakh people," they told the the court.
Polavaram Project is a multi-purpose irrigation project which has been accorded national project status by the central government.

This dam across the Godavari River is under construction located in West Godavari District and East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh state and its reservoir spreads in parts of Chhattisgarh and Odhisa also.
The petitioner, who is an economist, said, "Polavaram Project affected families are mostly poor tribal, marginalised people and they are ignorant of their rights under new land acquisition Act.

"Hence this petition is seeking interference of the court for protection of their rights under Articles 14,15,19(i)(g) and 21, 21A of the Constitution of India.