CHENNAI:The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal on Friday directed the State government to appoint a Conservator for the River Cooum, in accordance with the Tamil Nadu Rivers Conservation Act, 1884.
The Bench comprising judicial member, Justice P Jyothimani and expert member R Nagendran ordered the directions in response to a petition filed by P Edwin Wilson seeking directions for restoring Cooum River.
Taking note of the contention made by advocate Mohan who represented the petitioner that three government enterprises - Ennore Thermal Power Station, Chennai Petroleum Corporation and Madras Fertilizers - are continuing to discharge untreated effluent into the Buckingham Canal and polluting Cooum, the bench impleaded all the three enterprises and the Central Pollution Control Board as parties to the case and directed notice to them.
In his petition, Wilson said that the historic river Cooum was now a gutter and the water quality was highly toxic and unfit for consumption.