Principal secy appears before tribunal, files affidavit on status of work
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Chennai: Years of neglect in restoring Cooum river continues to attract National Green Tribunal’s flak. But, for the first time, a principal secretary appeared before the court to assert that the state government is committed for the cause. However, Justice M. Chockalingam wasn’t totally convinced and said the government should quicken the process and asked the official to just peep through his cabin window to understand the condition of Cooum!
During the last hearing, the NGT had directed the chief secretary to hold a review meeting on Cooum restoration and asked the member-secretary of the Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) to submit a report.
Accordingly, the principal secretary of municipal administration and water supply department K. Phanindra Reddy, who is holding additional charge of member-secretary of CRRT, appeared before the court on Tuesday and filed an affidavit on the status of ongoing Cooum restoration works and minutes of meeting chaired by the chief secretary.
The Bench said it was happy that a principal secretary had come to tell the tribunal on what was going on. However, Cooum restoration works were not going at a satisfactory pace.
The tribunal directed Phanindra Reddy to inform the Chief Secretary to hold a meeting of all departments concerned every two months and submit a status report.
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the metro water were asked to identify the polluting industries along the Cooum. The court observed that the three government enterprises — Ennore Thermal Power Station, Chennai Petroleum Corporation and Madras Fertilizers — were continuing to discharge untreated effluent into the Buckingham Canal and polluting Cooum. Counsel for the three companies were also present and sought time to submit replies.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that the authorities were only targeting slum dwellers, but ignoring the large-scale polluters like industries. The NGT posted the matter for September 9 for further hearing.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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