NGT unhappy as encroachers stay put on Chennai's Ramapuram lake

CHENNAI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) during a recent hearing expressed discontent over government agencies’ inaction pertaining to encroachments along Ramapuram lake area. Till date, the encroachers identified two years ago have not been evicted, show photographs taken by TOI lensman.
Government authorities in 2019 found out that the lake area was encroached by 250 families. Pollution of the lake due to dumping of untreated sewage from the squatters was also brought to light by media reports, which prompted NGT southern zone to take suo motu cognizance of the issue and the tribunal constituted a joint-committeet to inspect the lake area in 2020.
Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) had informed this panel that it has sanctioned ?93 lakh to renovate the lake. Using this fund, it has completed construction of toe walls, stone pitching and creating a baby pond to increase storage capacity, GCC had told the panel in 2020. The civic body had also informed the panel that it was working with Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) and local revenue department authorities to enumerate families living on the encroached space and take a bio-survey so that they can resettled at TNSCB tenements.
GCC, in its report following an inspection in October 2020, had said it did not find any evidence of the 250 families dumping sewage into the lake.
Recalling this report, NGT SZ during a hearing on July 2 said there has been no update on the matter since and noted that whether or not sewage was discharged into the lake can be ascertained only lab tests of the lake’s water quality. It also noted that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), despite being on the panel, has not submitted any report regarding this. There was also no mention about presence of garbage or other waste in GCC’s report, the tribunal observed. TOI photos show garbage dumped in one corner of the water body.
“If there is unauthorised construction that do not have any connection to the UGS (underground sewage) system, then there is every possibility of untreated sewage being discharged into the water body, it cannot be ruled out,” the tribunal said, expecting time-bound and effective action from officials concerned. The tribunal has set August 4 as deadline for the authorities to submit their inspection report.