Relief for Pallavaram Muncipality
The Pallavaram Muncipality got some relief from the National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench, on Thursday on the issue of dumping garbage. The Tribunal directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to make a spot inspection on the new site at Venkatamangalam mooted by the municipality and to accord ‘consent to establish’ without further delay.
Following an application from S.P. Surendranath Karthik, Madipakkam, the National Green Tribunal, New Delhi, in September last, granted an interim injunction restraining the municipality from dumping waste in the ‘Periya Eri’(lake).
In his application, Mr. Karthik had said one of the major water resources for the entire locality was facing problems such as dumping of garbage, encroachment and discharge of effluents from factories in Pallavaram area.
When the matter came up on Thursday before the Bench comprising judicial member Justice M. Chockalingam and expert member Prof. R. Nagendran, an additional affidavit was filed by the Pallavaram Municipal Commissioner seeking to vacate the interim injunction.
N.R. Chandran, senior counsel, submitted that a piece of land at Venkatamangalam has been located and a compound wall also raised so that municipal waste can be dumped in that site.
He further submitted that the municipality applied to the TNPCB for the grant of consent to establish and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for its approval.
Following his submissions, the Tribunal directed the TNPCB to make a spot inspection of the piece of land and give necessary revised consent as per law without any further delay. It also said the same should be placed before the SEIAA for its approval.
However, the Tribunal made it clear that there should not be any further delay in this matter since the grievances expressed by the applicant were true and genuine and that municipal solid waste should not be permitted to be dumped at the Peria Eri, Pallavaram, as done in the past.
Keywords: TNPCB, tribunal, new dumping ground, Pallavaram lake
During the last so many years the degradation of water resources in
Tamil Nadu has been appalling. There have been examples of so many
water bodies being polluted by dumping waste and pumping sewage into
them such as in Pallavaram and Porur. The encroachments over the banks
of lakes, rivers in and around Chennai, continues unchecked.
The river restoration work of the Cooum and Buckingam Canal has been
put on the back burner and there has been political lethargy with
neither government unwilling to give continuity to projects initiated
by the preceding governments.
We continue to purge our water bodies with waste, sewage and dirt and
we are busy fighting with neighbouring Karnataka and Kerala to release
water for our consumption.
On last count there are close to 35 water bodies in and around Chennai
which have vanished, polluted or contaminated. Why cant our politicians in Tamil Nadu show some enthusiasm is saving precious water resources in their own backyards
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