Two environmental activists from Pongupalayam were detained by Perumanallur police on Sunday morning as they attempted to block vehicles transporting garbage from Tiruppur city, to be allegedly dumped in abandoned stone quarries in the village.
The Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Protection Association earlier had announced its plan to block the garbage-laden lorries, demanding that the district administration and Tiruppur City Corporation comply with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive to remove garbage that was dumped without the approval of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
R. Satish Kumar, secretary of the State Legal Awareness Wing of the Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association, and Sridhar, an organic farmer, were arrested when they attempted to block the garbage-laden lorries, and the police also switched off their mobile phones. They were released later by the police as farmer organisations questioned the rationale behind the arrest.
The police informed the activists that while they were free to explore all legal provisions on the issue of garbage dumping in quarries, blocking of vehicles would not be permitted.
Residents of Pongupalayam who had planned to launch a hunger strike on the issue, dropped their protest.
Espousing the cause of the villagers, Mr. Satish Kumar filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action by the National Green Tribunal. The PIL accused the City Corporation of violating the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 and the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016, which mandate proper classification and disposal of waste.
The City Corporation, according to the PIL, had dumped thousands of tonnes of garbage in over 15 abandoned quarries spread over 60 acres between Kalampalayam and Pallipalayam areas in Pongupalayam Panchayat adjoining the northern part of the city.
When the case came up for hearing on December 2, the Southern Zone of NGT issued a directive to the District Collector, the City Corporation, and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to inspect the quarries, remove the accumulated garbage, and file a report on the steps taken.
Published – December 22, 2024 09:05 pm IST