Chennai: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has summoned National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) project director to attend the next hearing regarding the East Coast Road (ECR) widening project.
NHAI secured clearances to widen the Marakkam-Mugaiyur section of the ECR, which involved constructing a 500m bridge across Odaiyur lake. The project faced opposition from local fishermen, who argued that roadwork in ecologically sensitive zones would threaten their livelihood and that the construction methods were disrupting the coastal ecosystem.
A cofferdam, a temporary watertight structure used to keep water out during construction, was built on both sides of the Odaiyur lagoon. This blocked the natural tidal exchange, instead of allowing water flow on at least one side.
NHAI admitted that the cofferdam was intended to be built in two phases to preserve tidal water flow, but the concessionaire proceeded with the work on the northern side without considering the ecological impact, leading to a partial halt of the project.
Petitioner Saravanan argued that NHAI cannot evade responsibility by blaming the concessionaire for the violations. "It is NHAI's duty to ensure such breaches do not occur," he said.
On July 3, NGT ordered NHAI to remove the cofferdam on the northern side before completing construction on the southern side. In Oct, NHAI project director M S Chaitanya informed the tribunal that officials inspected the site and confirmed the removal of the excess cofferdam. However, the petitioners contended that rocky fillers at the bottom of the structure were not cleared, causing damage to local fishermen's boats.
At the Oct 18 hearing, NGT directed Chaitanya to conduct another inspection and instructed NHAI to add additional vents along the length of the bridge to improve water flow and tidal exchange. Chaitanya has been ordered to appear at the next hearing on Nov 7 to provide further technical clarifications.