The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) came down heavily on the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) and directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to take action against it for operating the North Chennai Thermal Power Station (NCTPS) without renewing its Consent to Operate (CTO).
The tribunal also directed the Additional Chief Secretary for Environment, Forest and Climate Change to conduct a study regarding the unutilised Ennore wetland and protect the area under the Government Wetland Mission. It further directed that a plan be developed for the restoration of the ‘fragile ecosystem of Ennore creek and its wetland complex.’
“It is seen from the reports [submitted to the NGT] that the NCTPS units are functioning without renewing their CTO, which is impermissible in law and is a continuing violation, for which TNPCB is expected to take stringent action against them, including the imposition of further compensation till the violation is rectified,” the Bench said.
Further, Tangedco was directed to replace the old ash slurry carrying pipes within the given time and to take all necessary precautions by providing sensor systems to detect fly ash leakage into the Ennore creek. The Bench also asked Tangedo to ‘take immediate steps’ to remove the fly ash deposited in the area due to a breach in the pipes carrying the slurry, and added that the Central Pollution Control Board and the TNPCB would have to conduct a soil analysis after that to decide if further remediation was required.
“The Tangedco is directed not to cause any act that is likely to affect the riverine and coastal ecology on account of their act and not cause further damage to the environment by violations of conditions noticed by the regulators earlier,” the Bench said.
The tender process for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for carrying out the remediation process should also be done within six months, and the study must be completed within nine months, following which the complete remediation process should be undertaken, the Bench directed.
