PUDUCHERRY: A water rights collective in Puducherry urged the Lieutenant Governor (L-G) to take immediate action against the alleged encroachment and dumping of waste into waterbodies by liquor and arrack outlets. Bangaaru Vaickal Neeraadhara Koottamaippu president V Chandrasekhar sent a memorandum to the L-G on the same, submitting with it geo-tagged photographs purportedly showing encroachments and pollution of waterbodies near the outlets.
Besides encroaching upon Lake Karayamputhur Vannan, Chandrasekhar claimed, liquor outlets abutting it have also been disposing of waste, which is yet to be addressed by the Pollution Control Committee. He said neither the Public Works Department (PWD) Irrigation Division nor the commune panchayat have taken action against the encroachers. He called out the Excise Department for issuing licences to the outlets allegedly operating on encroached land.
Chandrasekhar pointed out that the chief secretary of Puducherry has been filing affidavits before the Madras High Court saying no waste dumping or sewerage contamination of waterbodies occurred in the union territory. However, the actions described in the memorandum stand in stark contrast, raising concerns about a potential contempt of the court orders.
Besides, a signboard by the Department of Science, Technology, and Environment on climate change mitigation efforts, ironically, could be seen right next to the pollution hotspots.
The association urged the L-G to address the lack of a dedicated Water Resources Department for Puducherry, which allows for the continued blame-shifting between various departments. They demanded the immediate eviction of encroaching liquor outlets and the restoration of waterbodies at the expense of the encroachers.