The National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench, on Tuesday ordered notice to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and other authorities, including the District Collector, Namakkal, asking them to explain the steps taken against illegal dyeing units running near Rasipuram in that district without effluent treatment plants and which were closed in Tirupur and Erode on orders of the Madras High Court.
J.Srinivasa Mohan, counsel for the villagers, said, “Following the orders of the Madras High Court, dyeing units running without effluent treatment plants were closed. However, illegal units are being set up rampantly in other parts of State such as Rasipuram.
Directing the authorities to file their replies to the application, the Bench comprising its judicial member Justice M. Chockalingam and expert member R. Nagendran observed:
“We cannot be passive spectators. We want to know what action they have taken. Let them file on counter on March 1.”
P. Muthu and four other villagers of Chandrasekarapuram near Rasipuram filed the application seeking a direction to TNPCB to inspect the dyeing units and take action against those without effluent treatment plant.
They said their agricultural activities depend upon the water sources such as wells and Thattankulam Kuttai, a lake.
When a few units were set up in the villages in 2001, the villagers objected.
After arriving at an amicable solution, the villagers dropped their agitation.
“With the closure of dyeing units in Tirupur and Erode in the past two years, the owners have turned their attention to other places. Chandrasekarapuram panchayat was one such chosen by those people to run the dyeing units surreptitiously. The units really created havoc in the area,” they said.
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