SC stay on hydro projects to continue till UoI complies order

Ticking off the Environment ministry for sleeping like 'Kumbhakarna', the Supreme Court today made it clear that it is not going to lift the stay for setting up of new hydroelectric power projects on Alaknanda and Bhagirath river basins in Uttarakhand unless the Centre comes out with a detailed environment and ecological impact report of each of the 24 ventures.
The court wanted to know why the ministry was not acting on its orders requiring placement before it of the report of the 13-member expert committee, which was asked to study environmental degradation caused by such projects.
"You (Ministry of Environment and Forests-MoEF) are behaving like a 'Kumbhakarna'. What is your intention. Why after so much time granted you have not submitted the report. We are not vacating the stay," a bench comprising Justices Dipak Mishra and R F Nariman observed.

The apex court by its August 13, 2013 verdict, had expressed concern over the climate tragedy in Uttarakhand that year and prohibited setting up of any new hydroelectric power project in the state till further orders.
The bench was also anguished that despite its another order passed a year after on August 12, 2014, the MoEF has not filed the report.
It noted that the order had specifically stated that "This Court expects that the concerned Ministry shall furnish a report qua each project so that the report can be appreciated from proper prospective".
The bench also addressed the controversy relating to the 'design' of the barrage on the Alaknanda and Bhagirath river basins and asked various stake holders like power PSUs -- National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Tehri Hydro Development Coporation (THDC) and representatives of NGOs to hold preliminary meeting with MoEF on October 15.

Like the two members of PSUs, it also allowed two representatives of state government and an activist Bharat Jhunjhunwala to participate in the meeting and the report on the design of the barrage based in terms of Ganga basin study by IIT Consortium, will be placed before the 13-member committee on October 29 and the matter will be taken up for further hearing on November 5.