Chennai: Green drive goes awry, estuary debris lands on beach

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The Public Works Department is now dumping the construction debris, ordered by National Green Tribunal to be removed from the Adyar Creek estuary, in the Foreshore Estate beach near Srinivasapuram.

Truck loads of the debris from the Adyar Creek is now being dumped in the beach near Srinivasapuram to level it so that the Ganesha idols could be immersed, said a contractor, who has been given the licence to clear the debris from Adyar Creek estuary.

When a senior PWD official was contacted by Express, he said he had ordered the clearance of the debris but was unaware it was being dumped on the beach. “We will look into the issue and ensure the debris from the beach is removed,” a senior PWD official said.

Noted environmentalist Nityanand Jayaram said that this alleged illegality is perpetuated every year in the name of God. “Coastal Regulation Zone notification does not exempt divine forces for dumping on the beach,” he said.

The environmentalist said there is a need to educate police, public works department and Chennai Corporation on coastal regulation zone management.

K Saravanan of Urur Kuppam, on whose petition the Green Tribunal passed the order directing the Department of Environment and the Public Works Department to stop dumping construction debris from Adyar Creek estuary, said that PWD is again dumping the same debris on the beach.

“How could they dump the same debris again on beach when the Green Tribunal has ordered it to be removed,” he reasoned.

Saravanan said the road construction began in January 2011 by the Public Works Department allegedly for opening a sand bar in the Adyar river estuary. The road fell within the high tide line, and was being laid nearly up to the river mouth, and barely a metre away from the hatchery for Olive Ridley turtles. He said the Green Tribunal ordered to remove all the debris dumped to create the dirt road within a period of three months from the order delivered on August 7.

Timeline:

29 January 2011:

--- PWD starts work to construct road by opening a sand bar. The road falls within the high tide line.

30 January 2011:

A complaint is filed by Save Chennai Beaches and Reclaim our Beaches against PWD, Ministry of Environment and Forest and state department of environment and forest.

31 January:

Work is stopped

11 Feb 2012:

PWD again starts to construct the dirt road by dumping debris

12 Feb 2012:

Save Chennai beaches and Reclaim our Beaches organizations oppose it. PWD stops work.

Feb 25: PWD starts work again. It is almost completed

March 2012:

A complaint against the road is filed with Green Tribunal

April 2012:

Interim order passed to stop the work

August 7:

Green Tribunal orders PWD to remove all the debris dumped to create the dirt road Adyar estuary creek within a period of three months from the date of order being delivered