Madurai
Taking note of Madurai Corporation’s undertaking that it will take necessary steps to maintain the Chintamani channel, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court closed the suo motu proceedings initiated in this regard in 2018.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy took cognisance of the status report filed by Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan on the steps taken to maintain the channel.
In his report, the Commissioner said that the court had initiated the suo motu proceedings and directed the Corporation to clean the Ponnagaram stormwater drain channel and also remove a wooden bridge in the area.
He said that steps were taken to clean the more-than-14-km-long Chintamani channel running in Ponnagaram area which starts from the Vaigai river from the West of Madurai and flows up to the Chintamani tank.
The Corporation is periodically cleaning the channel and sensitising the public not to throw garbage into the channel. In order to prevent the pollution of the channel, a six-feet-high wall has been constructed on both sides of the channel to the extent of 120 metres, he said.
Further, the Corporation Commissioner submitted that the wooden bridge was removed and the Corporation had laid a paver block road with five metre width behind the Arapalayam bus stand abutting the channel and the same was in use.
The Corporation was taking all efforts to maintain the channel free of garbage in Melaponnagaram area and frequent cleaning operations were being undertaken, he said. Satisfied with the steps taken, the court closed the petition.
