CHENNAI: Residents of Venkatamangalam are gearing up for a fresh battle against the proposed revival of a Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant in their locality. The plant was shut down seven years ago following widespread public outcry over its environmental and health impacts.
Originally inaugurated in 2015 by the then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the plant was established by the Essel Group under a public-private partnership to process municipal solid waste from Tambaram and Pallavaram. Built at a cost of Rs 100 crore, the facility was designed to treat 300 tonnes of waste per day (TPD) and generate 2.9 MW of electricity.
Located on 50 acres of land in the panchayat, it encompasses around 5,000 families in Venkatamangalam and Rathinamangalam. Seven years after its closure, a tender has been floated to appoint consultants for preparing feasibility reports and offer transaction advisory services for a waste-to-energy (WtE) plant and a construction-and-demolition (C&D) waste processing facility at Venkatamangalam.
Recalling past experiences, resident G Perumal said that burning waste from the two municipalities at the plant had caused serious health issues for the community. “People suffered from breathing difficulties, nausea, and groundwater contamination. Students from schools and colleges in the vicinity were affected by it,” he rued.
Around 30 families from the Irula community, who live adjacent to the closed WTE site and dump yard, shared their continued hardships. “We can’t bear the stench. We rush indoors and shut the doors. The housefly menace was unbearable; it even settled on our food,” said Lalitha, a resident of the Irular colony.
Vengadamangalam panchayat president Kalyani Ravi said any attempt to revive the plant or set up similar polluting facilities would face strong resistance. “In 2013, we filed a case in the Chengalpattu District Court against the proposal, which was later transferred to the National Green Tribunal (NGT). In 2017, the NGT ordered the removal of dumped waste and issued a stay,” she recalled, and urged the government to re-purpose the site for public benefit.
“A college or a primary health centre will be more useful to the people in the 10 surrounding villages,” Kalyani pointed out.