State asked to submit scheme for compost yard in Salem

Passing interim orders on a batch of public interest litigations moved in this regard, the division bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad on impleading Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) into the case and on directing it to file a counter posted the case for further hearing to Tuesday. The bench also directed the state to inform the Court on the scheme available for building composting yard within parks.

R Rajalingam a Narasingapuram resident submitted that Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) had constructed 320 housing units in a lay out measuring 14.12 acres in 1991 and sold them to the public. In the said lay out, the land comprised in Survey No 216/1B was earmarked as park and school. But despite such categorisation, the municipality has proposed the construction of compost yard measuring 16 metres by 25 metres in the area despite the availability of alternate place.

Noting that such a move will affect the right of the residents to use the park in a peaceful and healthy manner, the plea pointed out that adjacent to the proposed compost yard there exists an over-head tank catering to the drinking water needs of people in six wards and a PHC. Hence, creation of such a composting yard is bound to create irreparable health hazards and cause severe air pollution, the plea added.

Another resident K Anguraj has contended that the Municipality’s move in converting the Children play park area in Rangabala Nagar into a garbage dump yard was bound to affect the lives of 250 families in the area. Similarly, M Senthilkumar in his PIL contended that the Narasinghapuram Municipality has proposed to set up a garbage dump yard in Ward No 12 and that too near a water tank, creating a health threat for the families residing in the area.

However, the commissioner of the Narasingapuram municipality in his counter has submitted that whenever a site is identified for onsite composting process, the public mistake it as a dump yard. He also noted that a good effort taken by the municipality for preparing manure under solid waste management is protested blindly by the public without any basic understanding.