A public hearing was held here on Friday amidst villagers complaining about officials not following the guidelines issued by the High Court on investigating into the alleged ill-effects of a bio-medical waste incineration plant in A. Mukkulam.
The public hearing, headed by District Revenue Officer J. Ravikumar and District Environmental Engineer S. Ramaraj was held at the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer, Aruppukottai.
The incineration plant, Re-Sustainability Health Care Solution Limited, has remained closed for nearly one year.
The public hearing was conducted following instructions of the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court.
However, the committee protesting against the incineration plant, formerly known as Ramky Energy and Environment Limited, said that the court had ordered the officials to first conduct a medical camp among the people in the villages said to be affected by the air and water pollution caused by the plant. Secondly, the officials should study the impact of the plant in polluting air and water in those villages.
The legal advisor for the protesting villagers, S. Vanchinathan, complained that only after obtaining the reports of the medical camp and the pollution report, the public hearing should have been conducted.
A villager, P. Muthumanickam (43) said that even as the operation of the plant was stopped, the private company was going ahead with construction inside its premises without obtaining any permission from the local panchayat. The villagers have been complaining that vast tracts of agricultural land around the plant have been rendered useless due to the soot produced by burning of waste collected from various southern districts.
Similarly, the hazardous waste have over the last decade polluted the water bodies.
“As per environmental rules such hazardous plants should not be allowed witin 500 metres of water bodies. However, despite the plant being located close to the A. Mukkulam tank, the officials had allowed it to function,” said another villager, C. Balamurugan.
The impact of the water pollution came to the fore only after fishes started to die in the tank, he added.
Several panchayats around the plant have already passed resolution during grama sabha meetings seeking closure of the plant.
“When we sought the value of the grama sabha meetings and the decisions taken, the officials remained silent,” Mr. Balamurugan said.
The officials have promised to conduct a medical camp and study the environmental pollution soon.
Narikudi Panchayat Union Chairperson S. Kaleeswari and A. Mukkulam Panchayat president S. Thangapandian, were present.
