New Delhi, July 19: An experts’ team, asked by the Supreme Court to inspect the Polavaram dam and ascertain whether construction being carried out as per the award passed by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal, today informed the court that it was “fully satisfied” that the plan and “limited construction activities” at the dam site had been in tune with the approved project plan and award.

The three-member body comprised M. Gopalakrishnan, a retired member of the Central Water Commission (CWC), S.P. Kakran, member (designs and research) of the commission and M.E. Haque, member (water planning and projects) of the commission. On April 11, the court asked the team to submit a report after a trip to the dam site. All interested states were asked to be present during the inspection.

This is a major setback to Orissa, which had urged the top court to stay the project, on the ground that it would submerge huge areas in its tribal belts. It is, however, a major boost for Andhra Pradesh, which has been pushing for the multipurpose project that would link the Godavari river with the Krishna river.

Orissa had also expressed reservations about the revision of design flood from 36 lakh cusecs to 50 lakh cusecs without consulting it. On both these counts, the expert committee has held against Orissa.

The committee said progress in terms of construction of the dam and the spillway was in a very preliminary stage. It, however, said that adopting a probable maximum flood of 50 lakh cusecs was in keeping with international practices for large dams.

The Godavari Tribunal had asked such technical issues to be handled by the commission and hence could not be considered a violation of the spirit of the award, the team said.

The committee said there was a need to differentiate between submergence due to the “reservoir” and due to “flood”.

Submergence was only significant only in extreme events of rarest nature such as, floods, or the worst case scenario as embodied in the probable maximum flood, the team said.

The report was submitted to the court on June 14. Today, however, the top court did not act on it.

Instead at the Orissa government’s request, a two-judge bench, headed by Justice Mukundakam Sharma, ordered that copies of the report be given to the state for its response. At the outset, Orissa counsel Raju Ramachandran sought time to file the state response to the report.

The bench directed that the state and any other states, who were parties to the case, be given copies of the report.

In a faint glimmer of hope for Orissa, the court, however, directed all states, including Orissa, Chhattisgarh and AP, to consider alternate project proposals such as, one by former chief engineer of Andhra T. Hanumantha Rao, that would ensure minimal submergence.

“May be we can then agree on an agreed formula,” Justice Sharma hoped. The case will now come up for further hearing after eight weeks.

Orissa and Andhra Pradesh have been at loggerheads on the project with the former opposing it on the ground that it would flood areas downstream and the latter insisting that the flooding would be as per initial estimates taken into account when the project had been conceived and cleared.

Orissa has been faulting those estimates made by the commission.

With the two states warring over the project, the top court had, at the March 3-hearing, sought names of independent experts or organisations to inspect the site and verify the claims and counter claims.