The Pallavaram Lake will soon get a fresh leash of life. Pallavaram Municipality officials assured the National Green Tribunal (NGT) – Southern Zone that garbage dumping in the water body, which is spread over 300 acres, will end from May 15.
The NGT Bench, comprising judicial member P. Jyothimani and R. Nagendran, also directed the government to transfer the ownership of the lake from the Public Works Department to the municipality for restoring the water body.
The Bench was hearing a petition filed by S.P. Surendranath Karthik who had sought an order restraining the Pallavaram municipality from dumping garbage in the lake. Civic groups have been asking the local body to revive the Pallavaram Lake as its margins have become a dumping ground.
According to report filed by the Municipality, after May 15, the entire garbage collected will be taken to the transfer station at Ganapathypuram and from there it will be taken to Venkatamangalam Municipal Solid Waste Plant. “If dumping of garbage does not stop after May 15, action will be taken against the local body,” observed the Bench. The Municipality has also been asked to take action against those littering the lake.
The report states that the transfer station at Kannadapalayam has been completed as has the trial run of the machinery. The work on Ganapathypuram transfer station is over. However, they have not been granted consent to establish and operate due to some issues pertaining to change in survey number. The Bench directed the government to consider granting the necessary clearance.
Meanwhile, the project for beautifying the Pallavaram Lake has been taken up with the Chennai River Restoration Trust. However, unless the ownership of the lake is transferred to the Pallavaram Municipality, the funds for restoration cannot be obtained.
The case has been adjourned to July 3.
