The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has directed the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Avadi Municipal Corporation to provide CCTV cameras around the Korattur lake and Ambattur lake to monitor illegal activities and take action against the guilty.
The Bench directed the GCC and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to complete the work on the underground drainage system in Ambattur in a time-bound manner and set up sewage treatment plants to treat the liquid waste generated in an effective manner to avoid its discharge into the Korattur Lake in a time-bound manner.
Tanker lorries
The Bench directed the Avadi Municipal Corporation and the GCC to regulate the activities of private tanker lorries that collect sewage and septage from residences and provide GPS in the lorries, track their movement and maintain registers regarding collecting sewage. These details should be handed over to the sewage treatment facility so that any illegal discharge can be effectively monitored and action taken against such persons not only under municipal laws but also be prosecuted under the Indian Penal Code apart from blacklisting such operators by cancelling their contracts.
The Bench directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to monitor all industries in the SIDCO Industrial estate in Ambattur to ascertain whether the pollution control mechanism is functioning, if there are violations of the conditions in the consent granted to operate and whether there is illegal discharge of untreated effluent or sewage into the waterbody or canal.
The Director of Municipal Administration and the Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply, have been directed to personally monitor the preparation of action plan for resolving the issue in a permanent manner. The Chief Secretary has been directed to form a committee to ensure that no scheme related to the matter will be stalled for paucity of funds and sanctions required from the government.
