CHENNAI: Pointing out the death of a fishermen, who reportedly died after his fishing boat capsized in Kosasthalaiyar river on August 24, the southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation (Tantransco) and State Coastal Zone Management Authority (SCZMA) to file reports pertaining to alleged violations in erecting transmission towers in the river.
While noting, "it was reported that in the debris dumped for the purpose of erecting poles in the Kosasthalaiyar River, one of the fishing boats collided and a person died, " the Tribunal recalled a direction issued to remove the debris from the water once the (construction of tower) works was completed.
The Tribunal directed the Tantransco to file another report stating whether they tried any alternative for taking transmission wires before they approach the SCZMA to get their approval to take transmission lines on the coastal zone area and how many of the towers are erected in the sanctioned location.
The Tribunal also sought details on how many deviations there and when there was a deviation, whether they approached the SCZMA to take permission to deviate from the original route.
Meanwhile, SCZMA has been asked to submit whether it has objected to the deviation made by the Tantransco.
The petitioner alleged that except one or two poles (out of the 13 poles to be erected), the rest are erected in the prohibited zone of the CRZ Notification, 2011.
He also argued how hazardous it is to erect the poles not only on the mangrove buffer zone but also right inside the flow of water.