Form panel to curb pollution in rivers: Madras HC to Tamil Nadu government

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Tamil Nadu government to constitute an expert body to ensure that rivers, their waterways and water bodies in the state do not get polluted either by discharge of effluents by industries or by sewage.

The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy gave a direction to this effect while passing further interim orders on a public interest writ petition from one Dhanasekaran, who prayed for a direction to clean river Amaravathi and remove encroachments on its waterways.

The river water was so polluted that the same was not fit for irrigation or drinking by humans and animals.

The bench said that the panel, consisting of persons with impeccable credentials, should find the ways and means to maintain the purity of the river and waterways by curbing the discharge of effluents by industries or by way of relocating them to far off places.

The judges said that it was the responsibility of the State to maintain the rivers and water bodies and there can be no compromise on this issue. Earlier, the Chief Justice said that he is able to smell the foul air even while travelling in an air conditioned car whenever it passes through Napier Bridge across the Cooum river in the city.

He added that the stench could be felt even when judges go for a walk near their residential areas on Greenways Road.