MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court recently issued notice to the Central, state government, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and Tiruchy corporation on a PIL seeking direction to the TNPCB to collect environmental compensation from the civic body for polluting the Kudamurutti river.
N Shanmugam, who is an advocate and organiser of the Cauvery River Protection Movement, stated in his petition that the Kudamurutti River, which is a distributary of the Cauvery and has a total length of 59 km, has become a drainage carrier of the western parts of Tiruchy city.
The river faces significant pollution primarily from the sewage water discharged from residential areas in Tiruchy districts, along with garbage and plastic wastes that are dumped in the river, he alleged. Further claiming that such continuous pollution poses a severe threat to the people who depend on it for irrigation, Shanmugam sought the above relief, adding that the compensation amount could be used to restore the river.
A special bench comprising justices GR Swaminathan and B Pugalendhi issued notice to the authorities concerned and adjourned the case to February 26.