CHENNAI: The
National Green Tribunal Southern Zone
(
NGT SZ
) is directly monitoring the pollution and encroachment status of at least a dozen water bodies in and around the city. Despite that, the squatters remain unremoved.
At present, there are more than 3,200 encroachments around lakes at Alapakkam,
Ramapuram
, Urapakkam, Tambaram, Velachery and Tambaram and the encroachers continue to block the free movement of excess rainwater into canals and lakes.
This is because the government authorities have repeatedly submitted false information, missed deadlines set by the tribunal and failed to take follow-up actions or monitor the offences.
David Manohar, a civic rights' activist from Arappor Iyakkam, said that NGT-monitored cases could be more effective if they added environmentalists or external experts to their joint-committees, constituted to look into various environmental issues.
At present, the same set of erring officials, who commit the violation in the first place, are asked to inspect and submit a report on it later. So, they end up filing biased reports without in-depth investigations. They simply get signatures from all the government authorities concerned in the committees, he said.
NGT judgements are largely based on reports of such committees. In the past, the tribunal had pulled up local body officials for submitting false information. But there are no hefty fines or stringent action against them, opine environmentalists.
The principal bench in Delhi has ordered private firms to pay 100 for automobile emission norm violation. On a few other occasions, arrest warrants have been issued even to top bureaucrats.
S Sekaran from Korattur Aeri Padukappu Makkal Iyakkam (an environmental organisation) said that the NGT is more keen on pollution than encroachments.
"Once they are evicted, they are provided with alternate accommodations at government tenements. But within a year, they come back. Hardly any steps are taken to monitor such activities and keep the water bodies free of encroachments," he said, referring to squatters near Korattur lake.