MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday sought a reply from the state government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought a series of directions to ensure removal of oil and plastic pellets which mixed in the sea in the southern coast of Tamil Nadu after a cargo vessel from Liberia sank in the Arabian Sea near Kochin in May last year.
Theeran Thirumurugan alias G Thirumurugan, who is the state coordinator of fishermen wing of Naam Tamilar Katchi, stated in his petition that the vessel had 643 containers, of which 13 had 1,502.5 tonnes of hazardous substances, including highly reactive and toxic compounds such as Calcium Carbide and Hydrazine and 68 containers had 1,400 MT plastic products known as nurdles. The vessel also carried 450 MT of marine fuel oil, including 367 tonnes of Very Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) and 64 tonnes of Diesel Oil, he added.
When the ship sank, some of these substances fell into the sea, causing severe environmental damage, impacting fishing, aquaculture and tourism, in not just Kerala but the TN coast as well, Thirumurugan alleged. When he and his associates inspected the affected areas, they found plastic pellets had washed ashore on the coast along Kanniyakumari, Thoothukudi, and Ramanathapuram districts, along with other hazardous substances, he claimed.
Though the matter is pending before National Green Tribunal in New Delhi, only the Kerala government is a party to the proceedings, while the TN government has taken no steps to prosecute the company involved, he added.
He requested the court to direct the state government to take legal action, besides forming an expert committee to clear the oil and other materials from the sea in a scientific manner. A bench of justices N Sathish Kumar and M Jothiraman directed the government counsel to get a response from the state and adjourned the case to April 29.