CHENNAI: In what the fisherfolk of Ennore and organisations who have been pushing for restoration of Ennore creek consider a victory of sorts, desilting work has begun at the Ennore creek as per the directives of the State Disaster Relief Commissioner, after months of campaign, activists said.
According to members of the Coastal Resource Centre, removal of fly ash was initially taken up north of the power plant. As on Wednesday, dredging work in the Buckingham canal and the removal of a road laid by the Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS) were also initiated, activists said. “The road was considered to be the most dangerous since it was at a point where the Kosasthalaiyar enters the creek. It’s a welcome move that it is being removed,” said activist Nityanand Jayaraman.
The areas between the pillars of the bridges across the creek were also being dredged to enable floodwaters to flow easily.According to the activists, work has commenced between the second and third pillars of the NTECL Vallur’s coal conveyor belt, where the Buckingham canal’s entry had been blocked since the conveyor belt’s construction began five years ago. The Ennore All Fisher Village Coalition and the Coastal Resource Centre had put forth a set of six recommendations, which, apart from the removal of fly ash and dredging between the pillars of the bridges, had also insisted on stopping construction on wetlands.
“Following the recommendations, all parties involved, including TANGEDCO, Kamarajar Port and NTECL, were called for a meeting last month where they were directed to take necessary action”, said an official from the Thiruvallur district Revenue Department.
Even as activists welcomed the measures being taken now, they said that the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) should have prevented the ‘encroachments’ in the first place.
When contacted, a senior official of TNSCZMA said that the ‘details’ were not immediately available with him since it was a government holiday.