Chennai: Flaying Karnataka officials for wilful disobedience and non-compliance with its orders to prevent pollution of the Thenpennai River, the National Green Tribunal has sought individual explanations from authorities concerned.
For instance, while the chief secretary’s report submitted in Jan 2026 said that a 5-MLD STP being built at Kaggadasapura would be completed by Mar 2026, a CPCB report filed on the basis of BWSSB documents said the deadline was Mar 2027. Similarly, for a 10-MLD STP at Jakkur, the chief secretary’s report specified the deadline as Dec 2026. However, a BWSBB report and CPCB report — both signed by the same engineers — specified two different deadlines for the project. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Chennai | Silver Rate in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Petrol Price in Chennai | Diesel Price in Chennai | CNG Price in Chennai | LPG Price in Chennai Stay updated with the latest Chennai news.
Hence, we hold that there is a clear wilful disobedience of the order of this Tribunal,” the Bench of judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Prashant Gargave said, ordering notices to authorities. “It pains to state that not only the order of this Tribunal, but statement of the Chief Secretary is kept up by the authorities concerned. Download the TOI App.
Exercising powers under the NGT Act, 2010, the Tribunal has ordered notices to the Karnataka chief secretary, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) chairperson, and the heads of the forest and municipal administration departments, directing them to explain the non-compliance before the next hearing on Nov 11. The case was taken up suo motu by the Tribunal following reports of frothing (chemical foaming) in Thenpennai river in 2020 and the presence of toxic foam in Hosur after surplus water discharge from Kelavarapalli dam in 2024. The Tribunal noted that several directions were passed in 2021 and 2022 to prevent pollution of water at Kelavarapalli dam, including holding periodic review meetings at least once in 2 months and setting up sewage treatment plants (STP), and the matter was taken up for review on several occasions.
The Thenpennai river, called Dakshina Pinakini in Karnataka, enters Tamil Nadu through Kodiyalam Check Dam — an upstream point of Kelavarapalli dam. It, however, flagged contradictions in recent reports filed by Karnataka chief secretary, CPCB and BWSSB.