Karur municipality fined for building bus stand on canal

CHENNAI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 25 lakh on the Karur Municipality for constructing a bus stand on the canal.

In a plea, a farmer from Karur sought to stop the ongoing construction of the bus stand in Thirumanilaiyur village Rajavaikal in the district. The applicant said that his farmland was deprived of water for irrigation from the sub-canals of Rajavaikal after the construction of the bus stand.

One of the respondents, the Commissioner of Karur Municipality, said neither agriculture nor irrigation was carried out in the location for the past several years and the water channels formed for irrigation purposes were abandoned and do not exist near the fields.

After hearing both submissions, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana directed the Karur Municipality to suspend the bus stand work in the area till the necessary approval from the government was obtained.

Further, a penalty of Rs 25 lakh levied on the Karur Municipality payable to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board within two months.

The fine amount should be used for remediation work, including the development of the greenbelt, Judge disposed of the case.