Chennai: The advocate commissioner formed by the National Green Tribunal's southern bench to look into the destruction of mangrove vegetation in Kosasthalaiyar River by Kamarajar Port in Ennore, submitted the report recently.
The report by the advocate commissioner, T Sai Krishnan, which is accessed by the Deccan Chronicle, explains the sorry state of the Kosasthalaiyar River, filled with the dredged soil.
The advocate commissioner had inspected two sites near the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS), in the presence of the Pollution Control board officials, local fishermen and the counsels from the applicant and the petitioners.
The inspected sites to the south of Athipattu Main Road leading to NCTPS and west of post access road leading to Kamarajar Port were once famous for mangroves.
“The dredged material/ dumped sand is still lying in the still at both the sites to an extent of two to three feet, being the difference between the ground level where in mangroves are found and the ground level of the dumped area,” the report submitted before the tribunal said.
The green bench, in its previous orders had clearly ordered the pollution control board officials and Kamarajar port authorities to clear the dredge material, which is a health and environmental hazard. The port officials, had, said that it was cleared.
However, the counsel of applicant had produced enough pictures, proving the continual of the dumping and prompting the green bench to form an advocate commissioner.
Besides the dredging material, certain quantities of broken glasses and construction debris had been dumped aside the port access road, said the report.
