Mahanadi row: Calcutta HC asks Chhattisgarh to withdraw plea against NGT order

Bhubaneswar/Kolkata: In yet another jolt to Chhattisgarh, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday asked it to withdraw the writ petition challenging an order of Kolkata bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) to halt construction of 31 projects on the Mahanadi.
According to reports, the Division Bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty held that appeal against any order of the NGT was not maintainable before the High Court under Section 22 of National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, and directed Chhattisgarh to withdraw it.
The court, however, deferred the hearing on the matter till November 2 on specific request of the Chhattisgarh government.
On July 26, the green tribunal had issued a stay on 31 projects while adjudicating an application filed by social activist Sudarsan Das on behalf of Agami Odisha, an apolitical forum, raising concerns over impact of barrages on environment, ecology and people residing in Odisha.