C Shivakumar @ CHENNAI:
Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary N Muruganandam has set a August 2025 deadline for the completion of a long-delayed underground sewerage and treatment project in suburban Chennai, as the state government faces mounting pressure to curb untreated waste being discharged into the ecologically fragile Putheri Lake in Pallavaram.
At a high-level meeting held on June 26 at the Secretariat in Chennai, Muruganandam directed senior officials to expedite construction of the Underground Sewerage System (UGSS) and associated Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Anakaputhur.
The meeting was convened to assess Tamil Nadu’s compliance with environmental directives issued by the NGT’s Southern Zone bench, particularly concerning restoration of the Potheri Lake ecosystem and upgrades to sewage infrastructure in the Tambaram region.
The UGSS project involves laying underground pipelines across 50 km covering 389 streets in Anakaputhur and 100 km across 877 streets in Pammal. It also includes the construction of two sewage treatment plants. In a notable shift from conventional infrastructure, the project proposes installing machine holes instead of traditional manholes—2,212 in Pammal and 768 in Anakaputhur—aimed at improving safety, durability, and ease of maintenance.
Senior officials present included D Karthikeyan, Principal Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department; J. Jayakanthan, Secretary of the Water Resources Department; and P Madhu Sudhan Reddy, Director of Municipal Administration. Representatives from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), and Tambaram Corporation were also in attendance.
Officials familiar with the proceedings said the chief secretary instructed that 100 per cent household connectivity to the new sewer network must be ensured by the project deadline. The Municipal Administration Department will be responsible for close monitoring and implementation.
As part of broader compliance measures, the government also announced stricter enforcement to deter the illegal dumping of solid and liquid waste around Potheri Lake. Surveillance will be ramped up with the integration of CCTV systems around the lake with both police and the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), allowing for real-time monitoring. Violators could face fines under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
"All sewage transport vehicles operating in the Tambaram zone will be GPS-enabled, with decanting permitted only at authorised treatment plants," official sources told TNIE. "Unlawful disposal will result in steep penalties, including licence revocation."
In an effort to foster civic engagement, Tambaram City Municipal Corporation has been tasked with forming Lake Management Committees in collaboration with revenue authorities and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs). These community-led bodies will be empowered to act as local stewards of lake conservation.
The push to fast-track environmental safeguards comes in the wake of a notice of contempt filed by a Kancheepuram resident V Pattabiraman. The NGT had earlier directed the state in its July 18, 2022 order to implement corrective measures, a timeline that has since lapsed, prompting renewed scrutiny.
"The inaction by the departments clearly amounts to wilful disobedience of the NGT's order," Pattabhiraman has observed in the notice urging the state government officials to act upon the NGT order or else face Contempt plea.
The NGT order has directed Tamabaram Municipal Corporation and the Greater Chennai Corporation to take appropriate syeps to implement the Underground sewage Scheme of uncovered areas within their respective jurisdiction in a war footing manner so as to avoid untreated sewage beingh let into Putheri lake.
The other recommendations of NGT included fixing the boundaries of Putheri Lake and remove encroachments if any; and taking steps to implement Solid Waste management rules 2016 and other Waste Management Rules in letter and Spirit.
The Chief secretary was directed to monitor the directions issued by the tribunal and conduct review meetings with the stakeholder departments at the highest level,
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