In a setback to the Telangana government, the National Green Tribunal on Monday directed the Telangana State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) to submit a status report on a plea alleging that muck was being dumped illegally at the Polavaram dam in Andhra Pradesh.

The NGT heard a petition filed by one Pentapati Pulla Rao. In the plea, the petitioner alleged that illegal dumping of muck was taking place during the construction of the Indira Sagar Polavaram Multipurpose Project which was damaging the environment. Pulla Rao counsel Sravan Kumar argued that several environmental violations took place at the site. The petitioner contended that waste material was being dumped in agricultural lands near the Polavaram project which was declared as a national project under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Hearing the arguments, the NGT has directed the pollution control board to submit a report by January 11 next year. The NGT had earlier ordered a four-member committee to conduct an inspection near the Polavaram dam and submit a report. It had constituted a committee comprising representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board, additional principal chief conservator of forests, the State Pollution Control Board, and the district magistrate to give a report on the factual aspects.