CHENNAI: With the new State government assuming office, residents in and around Kodungaiyur and several North Chennai welfare associations opposing the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at the Kodungaiyur dump yard said they were planning to soon submit a fresh representation seeking the project’s complete withdrawal.
Federation for North Chennai Residents’ Welfare Associations (FNCRWA) president TK Shanmugam said that the group was planning to meet Chief Minister Vijay, who currently holds the Municipal Administration portfolio.
“Since the CM himself is the Perambur MLA and holds the Municipal administration under him, we’re hopeful. We will emphasise that the project should be abandoned,” he said.
The proposed WTE project at Kodungaiyur has faced sustained resistance from sections of residents and civic groups over the past few years, with concerns being raised over emissions, toxic fly ash generation, groundwater contamination and the cumulative pollution burden already faced by North Chennai. Earlier this year, after objection from residents and RWAs, infrastructure works linked to the project, including a proposed access road sanctioned by the GCC at the dump yard were halted. Only the biomining works are currently being carried out.
Besides seeking withdrawal of the WTE project, the federation also plans to press for measures related to pollution control, healthcare, educational institutions, employment and ecological protection in areas such as Manali, Ennore and Tiruvottiyur. “North Chennai needs a separate environmental policy because it has become a chemical hub,” he said, while also calling for a special ecological plan for the region.
Residents’ groups have also been advocating decentralised waste management measures, including strengthening micro composting centres and material recovery facilities, instead of large-scale waste incineration projects. They have earlier presented the Green Chennai Initiative (GCI), a zero-waste and sustainable development project, as an alternative to the proposed WTE, to sort the waste management from the household level itself.
Ramachandra Rao, president, Ever Vigilant Citizen’s Welfare Association (EVCWA), said, “The change in government has given residents fresh hope that the long-pending demand to drop the project would finally be considered.”