Coal conveyor on waterbodies deviated from Centre-approved route: Activists

It is dumping illegally-transported dredged sea sand and fly ash into waterbodies, including Kosasthalai river’s tidal channel.

A ground-truthing exercise using a handheld GPS has revealed that the ongoing construction has already led to the loss of more than 15 acres of wetlands, including 1.1 acres of the Kosasthalai river. “If allowed to proceed, the unapproved alignment will claim an additional 2.4 acres of river-spread including mangroves,” it noted.

After using an alignment that avoids waterbodies to get approval, the environmental group said Tangedco has illegally altered the alignment without informing the Union Environment Ministry, and gone ahead with a completely different alignment that runs mostly on waterbodies. According to local fishermen, Konamudukku Kalvai, which is the area of the river being encroached by Tangedco is one of the most biologically productive segments in the area.

The presence of mangroves and deep-water habitats make this a sheltered breeding place for prawns. Denying the charges of deviation, a Tangedco official said there was no deviation in the laying of its coal conveyor corridor for the Ennore SEZ project. “It is wrong to state that we got approval avoiding waterbodies. The coal conveyor can’t be laid by avoiding waterbodies,” the official claimed.

Meanwhile, the inter-departmental committee formed by the State government inspected the works underway at the Ennore SEZ power project on Wednesday. The committee comprises the officials from TNPCB, Department of Environment and Forest, Revenue and Disaster Management Department and Tiruvallur district administration. On Monday, a three-member team comprising professor S Janakarajan, artist and activists TM Krishna and Poovulagin Nanbargal G Sundarrajan visited Ennore and highlighted Tangedco’s ongoing illegalities.