The National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench, has ordered notice to the authorities on a petition by fishermen to direct the Chettinad Power Corporation to remove structures erected by it across water canals in Nagapattinam district.
Following an application filed by S. Sivakumar and P.C. Kunasekaran, the Bench, comprising judicial member Justice P. Jyothimani and expert R. Nagendaran, directed the Nagapattinam Collector and others to file their replies on July 30.
The fishermen said they were residents of Kuttiyandiyur, a fishing village situated near the proposed power plant by Chettinad Power Corporation, in Tharangambadi taluk. The company was blocking the passage of stormwater by constructing bridges across the river Mahimalai, and seven canals maintained by the Public Works Department. As the company was constructing a compound wall, fishermen would be prevented from accessing East Coast Road for safety in the event of any natural disaster like a tsunami.
