The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Court directs steps to end human entry into cesspools

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Thursday, Jul 02, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Court directs steps to end human entry into cesspools

K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Special Government Pleader (SGP) to get instructions suggesting that the official representatives from the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, CMWSSB and the Chennai Corporation be on a committee for the effective implementation of the court’s directions relating to ban on the entry of human beings into sewage and septic tanks in Tamil Nadu. The committee is also meant for addressing the technical issues concerning the long-standing problems.

During an earlier hearing on a contempt petition filed by A. Narayanan of Virugambakkam, to a suggestion that certain bodies such as NEERI, IIT, and social organisations may be involved to get ideas as to how a better awareness programme could be formulated, a Division Bench comprising Justices F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla and B. Rajendran directed the SGP and the petitioner to furnish details of such organisations.

This was to enable the court to ensure their presence on a future hearing date and seek their assistance by constituting a committee to work out a better solution to the environmental problem.

At the last hearing, the SGP placed before the Bench the list of organisations which could be involved for the effective implementation of various directions issued in the court order of November 2008. Mr. Narayanan also placed certain suggestions for the formation of the committee.

In further orders, the Bench directed the SGP to submit a memorandum suggesting the issues that would have to be addressed by the proposed committee along with the official representatives.

The Bench said that in order to suggest the course of action that could be taken up for effective implementation of the court’s orders, it wished to ascertain the willingness of the representatives of other institutions and organisations, including Exnora, traders’ federations and the hotel owners’ association, whose involvement in the process would go a long way to achieve the objectives expressed in the court order.

The Bench directed the SGP to address the concerned office-bearers and institutions along with a copy of the court order and report to the court on July 7 to enable the Bench to constitute the committee.

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