KARAIKAL: Wary of the “inconvenience” the facility would cause, a section of residents in Puthuthurai backed by the Karaikal South MLA reiterated their opposition to the establishment of a Rs 43-crore sewage treatment plant (STP) in the locality, at the opinion hearing meeting held at Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Administrative Complex on Tuesday.
The STP is being set up with funds under the AMRUT scheme as well as the Puducherry PWD after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) noted that sewage from the town was polluting rivers such as Arasalar, Noolar and Vanjiyar. As per plan, the sewage generated would be directly pumped from about 20 points, directed through underground pipelines to Puthuthurai and treated using the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology at the plant.
The treated water would then be directed towards the Arasalar where it would be distributed through irrigation channels for agricultural purposes. While work on setting up the STP with the capacity to treat 11 million litres per day (MLD) on 2.5 acres in Puthuthurai began in December, Karaikal South MLA AMH Nazim, who also resides in the locality, filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court against the project.
The court is said to have directed the administration to take up the matter with the petitioner. Following this, the opinion hearing meeting on the project led by Collector D Manikandan was held on Tuesday. MLA Nazim, who was present, told TNIE, "We are not against setting up a sewage treatment plant for the municipality. There, however, is concern noting the residential population in Puthuthurai. The district administration may shift the plant elsewhere."
Meanwhile, a senior PWD official said, "The project is safe and is implemented with approval from the NGT. The system is successful in many cities across the country. People need not be apprehensive." Following the meeting, the collector agreed to take the residents’ demands to the government.
