COIMBATORE: National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Zone, has given four weeks to the geology and mines department and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to decide on the course of action regarding illegal brick kilns in Thadagam Valley.
During the hearing on July 12, judicial member of NGT, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati permitted the departments to decide on the issue by convening a joint departmental meeting before the next hearing on August 21.
NGT has been hearing petitions on the 177 brick kilns operated without permission. Based on a Madras High Court’s direction, brick kilns functioning in five revenue villages in Thadaam including Chinna Thadagam, 24 Veerapandi Pirivu, Somayampalayam, 22 Nanjundapuram and Pannimadai were sealed by the district administration. Activists and people affected by the kilns appealed to the court and the tribunal seeking permanent closure of the kilns and remedial measures to restore the place which falls under the biological zone for wild animals.