TANGEDCO falls in line, starts clearing Ennore encroachment

CHENNAI: After an eight-month fight by locals, fishermen and activists, TANGEDCO has finally started removing its encroachment on Ennore Creek - an approach road - following a site inspection by local officials on Sunday.The approach road was built across Kosathalaiyar river by the company in May to facilitate the construction of a coal conveyor system.

Speaking to Express, a senior official of TANGEDCO said, “It might take up to four or five days to remove the whole road,” adding the road may, however, be relaid after monsoon.
“The Collector inspected the site today after which orders were issued to remove the encroachement,” said environmental activist Nityanand Jayaraman adding that the encroachment was a dangerous obstruction to flow of water into the sea.The road hampered flow of the river into the sea, generating dissent from local fishermen, who depend on the creek for their livelihood.

“The road blocked the natural circulation of the river. This not only affected fishing, it also put the local villages at risk of flooding,” said R L Srinivasan, a local fishing leader.Repeated pressure from activists and locals drew the attention of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Nungambakkam, which inspected the road. “M/S TANGEDCO has encroached upon and blocked the backwaters of Ennore Creek beneath the Ennore Highway bridge by establishing a approach road no. 2 of 350 m length and 6 m width for the construction of external coal conveyor system without obtaining the prior approval from MoEF&CC, New Delhi and Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority,” observed the regional office of the ministry in their inspection report dated November 1.

The report further mentioned, “Approach road no. 2 clearly obstructs the natural flow of water within the Ennore Creek which may perhaps cause flood vulnerability in that area. Livelihood of communities in the surrounding Ennore Creek who directly depend on fishing activity may also be affected.”
“Last year, Ennore Thermal Power Station had removed their encroachment before the flood only to restart the construction under a bridge,” said Srinivasan who claimed that he was disappointed by lack of action by officials for months. He added that local officials promised to remove the encroachment after Kamal Haasan’s visit to the creek.While locals were happy over the removal of the encroachment, they said that officials must ensure that such encroachments do not crop up in future.

Hampered flow of river
The road hampered flow of the river into the sea, generating dissent from local fishermen, who depend on the creek for their livelihood. “It also put the local villages at risk of flooding,” said a fishing leader.