‘Protect water body’

August 02, 2021 11:10 pm | Updated 11:10 pm IST - MADURAI

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has directed Sivakasi municipality to inspect and remove encroachments in Velayudhan oorani and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to conduct periodical inspection of a micro-compost centre in the oorani.

A Division Bench of Justices T.S. Sivagnanam and S. Ananthi has observed that micro-compost centres are need of the hour. Therefore, they must be set up to keep the environment clean.

At the same time, the court cannot close its eyes to the action of authorities obliterating the waterbody and reducing the catchment area. It is the duty of the State to protect the water body.

The court has also noted the steps taken by the government permitting alienation of the water body in favour of Tamil Nadu Industrial Investment Corporation for construction of Sivakasi branch office.

It is not clear as to whether the Corporation has constructed the branch office. If it has not been constructed, it is time for the government to rethink and reverse its decision. But, if it has been constructed, all that the court can do is to lament the alienation of the water body, the bench said.

The Sivakasi municipality must ensure that a pucca compound wall with adequate revetment is constructed around the centre so that no part of any leachate from the garbage shifted to the centre for segregation gets drained.

The municipality shall also ensure that the waterbody is cleaned and the encroachments are removed, if there are channels that lead to the water body that bring water when the dams are opened.

The court was hearing a petition filed by C.T. Anand of Sivakasi. He sought a direction to the authorities to protect and restore the Velayudhan oorani in Sivakasi inVirudhunagar district.

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