CHENNAI: Members of the Ennore Makkal Paathukappu Kuzhu, a collective of protesting villages in the region, have filed a petition before the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal in Chennai, against the environmental clearance granted for the expansion of the Coromandel fertiliser plant in Ennore.
Demanding permanent closure of the Coromandel International Limited (CIL) plant, the villagers have been protesting since December 26 last year when an ammonia gas leak accident occurred at the plant. They had also denounced the measures subsequently recommended by the technical committee of state government.
The NGT previously reserved its judgment in a suo motu case initiated based on a TNIE report regarding the gas leak accident. The villagers have now filed a fresh application before the NGT against the fertiliser plant. The application seeks the tribunal to quash the environmental clearances granted to the CIL from 1993 to 2023 for the expansion of its operations.
The petition contends that the clearances were issued in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications. “The factory is located within the CRZ area. The CRZ notification of 1991 imposed a prohibition on the expansion of any industry located within the CRZ and the setting up of new industries. The clearances were obtained by suppressing the fact the industry is located within the CRZ area and the expansion is legally prohibited,” the petition read.
The application also criticised the authorities for granting clearances without proper verification. “The authorities are equally culpable as they rewarded the CIL with clearances in utter disregard to the law of environmental consequences,” they added. The petition also stated that no offsite emergency preparedness plan was prepared by the plant as mandated.
Retired High Court judge K Kannan appeared on behalf of the petitioners and Advocate D Shanmuga Nathan appeared on behalf of the state government. The bench issued a notice to the government and the CIL and posted the matter for further hearing on May 7.