CHENNAI: Even as the North East monsoon has finally arrived, the principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has come down heavily on the Tamil Nadu government for poor pre-monsoon preparedness and imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore on the Public Works Department (PWD).
The tribunal was particularly unhappy with the pace in which work on the Buckingham Canal, which is the saviour for the entire south Chennai as it carries flood waters, was progressing. Under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) Scheme, administrative sanction for an estimated Rs 603.67 crores was obtained, but no tangible action was taken for mitigation of the problems.
“We find action taken for pre-monsoon preparedness for the years 2017 and 2018 have been placed at an estimated at the cost of Rs 70 lakh and Rs 80.50 lakhs respectively but the works undertaken appear only to be removal of floating materials. There can be no denial of the fact that the PWD has been recalcitrant. The records of the case would reveal that the tribunal has been taken for granted and delay has been caused based on extraneous grounds.
We are only concerned with the mitigation of the serious environmental questions involved in the case for which sufficient time has been granted to the State. We are now of the view that the matter needs to be dealt with at the highest level,” the tribunal said in its order pronounced on Wednesday.
The order was passed in a five-year-old case filed by Jawaharlal Shanmugam, an activist fighting for restoration of the canal.
NGT chairman Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has directed the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary to look into the matter directly and ensure that steps are taken on an urgent basis in the interest of the environment and the people.
The tribunal said the report on removal of the encroachments was equally disappointing. It is stated that out of total 26,300 encroachments put together (i.e. 18,300 in Chennai Municipal Authority Area, 100 in Thiruvallur district and 7,900 in Kancheepuram district) only 408 have been evicted leaving the balance of 25,892 encroachments still to be dealt with.
Zakir Husain, PWD counsel, argued that the non-removal of the encroachments was on account of pending litigations. However, the tribunal said the answer was absolutely vague as the counsel did not present any particulars of the court cases. "The matter relating to desilting on the other hand has not been addressed at all, although the JNNURM Scheme prepared by the PWD does include the works of widening and deepening and other cognate steps," the tribunal said.
Considering the inordinate delay, the tribunal imposed a penalty of Rs 2 crore on PWD to be deposited with the Central Pollution Control Board. The amount shall be deposited within 15 days. If the department again fails to comply an additional penalty of Rs 50,000 per day will be imposed, the order said.
Meanwhile, A Kumar Prasad, counsel for Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), submitted that the State government has not responded to various letters issued and stated that unless the government hands over the concerned water bodies free of encroachments, it would not be possible for the authority to be of any assistance to the State. "In view of this, we direct that the Chief Secretary to deal with the requisitions made by the IWAI made in their various correspondences.
IWAI under Union Ministry of Shipping which implements National Waterways-4 project including up-keep of Buckingham Canal, has shut its regional office in Chennai and shifted to Vijayawada due to noncooperation from the State government.
Above normal rainfall predicted
Chennai: It’s now official. Northeast monsoon commenced over coastal and south interior Tamil Nadu on Thursday and meteorological department officials said the State will still end-up receiving above normal rainfall even though the onset happened two weeks late. S Balachandran, Deputy director-general of meteorology, Regional Meteorological Centre, told reporters that most parts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry will receive rain on November 2-3, while heavy rain may occur in a few places in coastal districts.
TN to oppose River Basin MGMT Bill
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to oppose the River Basin Management Bill, 2018, expected to be introduced by the Central government in the winter session of Parliament which is likely to begin from mid-December. The meeting chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday has deliberated on the Bill in detail. Though it is almost decided to oppose the Bill, the government is likely to get clarity on certain issues in the coming days.