View Court Order Here

The Madras High Court issued “an order of ad-interim injunction restraining the 5th respondent from dumping the soil or any other material which would affect the marsh land, including the mangrove in S.No.1556 of Vallur Village, Thiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu.” The next hearing is scheduled for 18.12.2018.

Ennore fisherfolk had first highlighted the unlicensed construction of a structure within a mangrove-fringed portion of the Ennore Creek for NTECL’s coal-fired power plant in Vallur in January 2018, when men and women from Ennore villages entered the site and physically stopped construction work. Despite representations to the District Collector, the Police, State Coastal Zone Management Authority, TNPCB and the State Disaster Management Authority, NTECL continued with its construction. The Kuruvimedu Canal — once a major route for movement of large salt-laden boats — has been blocked. Mangroves over several acres has been smothered by dumped earth.

The Writ Petition (WP 30237 of 2018) was filed after it became clear that regulatory authorities were not prepared to enforce the law. “It is unfortunate that even implementation of regulations — which ought to be the responsibility of regulatory bodies like the District Administration and TNPCB — has to now be done by the High Court,” said petitioner K. Saravanan, a Chennai-based fisher activist who is part of the Save Ennore Creek Campaign.

Earlier this month, fisherfolk celebrated yet another victory after their efforts to prevent KPL from encroaching the Ennore Creek bore fruit. An Environmental Clearance granted to KPL on October 30, 2018, asked the company to keep off the Creek.

“Our fates, our futures and Chennai’s future are tied to the health of the Ennore Creek. We need to not only save and repair the Creek, but also to save and repair our government which has become unresponsive to the plight of common people and our collective future,” said D. Selvaraj, a fisher elder from Kattukuppam.

The Madras High Court Order can be accessed here

For More Information, Contact – R.L Srinivasan : 98842 80891

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