CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has directed the Tiruverkadu municipality to take a decision on the issue of setting up a sewage treatment plant (STP) near a residential area within six weeks by taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).
The first bench of Chief Justice Manindra Kumar Shrivastava and Justice Sunder Mohan issued the directions recently while disposing of a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate M Kamesh.
The petitioner had submitted that the municipality has proposed to construct the STP near a residential area at Koladi which is 10 metres from a government school, church and the Koladi lake catchment area.
He said the proposal for the STP is in violation of the 2008 guidelines issued by the TNPCB and noted that these guidelines mandate STPs shall be constructed 500 metres away from residential areas, schools and 250 metres away from waterbodies.
The petitioner prayed for the court to bar the civic body from going ahead with the proposal for setting up the plant.
The bench directed the commissioner of the municipality to examine the complaint of the petitioner in the light of the TNPCB guidelines.
“A decision should be taken within an outer limit of six weeks. The authority shall pass a speaking order deciding the objections,” the bench said in the order.