Kuthambakkam Villagers reject dumping yard project

Proposed site where the SWM project is planned.

By G Saravanan

Source: http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/villagers-reject-dumping-yard-project/208906.html

Published in The New Indian Express, Chennai, on September 22, 2010:

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court-directed public hearing on setting up an integrated municipal solid waste management (SWM) plant at Kuthambakkam village, near Poonamallee, on Tuesday saw a tremendous response from the locals who overwhelmingly opposed the project.

However, a group of elected representatives and residents from six local bodies that would be dumping their garbage at the site if the proposal goes through, spoke in support of the project.

The proposal is to hand over around 100 acres of grazing land in Kuthambakkam village panchayat to six local bodies, Ambattur, Thiruverkadu, Valasaravakkam, Maduravoyal and Poonamallee (all municipalities) and Porur town panchayat, to dump solid waste.

Commissioner of Ambattur Municipality Ashish Kumar while inaugurating the public hearing presented an audio-visual presentation for more than one hour detailing the project and its implications on the areas. The consultant who prepared the Rapid Impact Assessment report addressed the questions along with Kumar.

From Kuthambakkam alone, more than 300 people participated and expressed their opposition to the proposal. Lokanayaki, a resident of the village, said, “If the project gets sanctioned, indiscriminate dumping of garbage would seriously affect the environment of the village and its surrounding areas and children would be forced to live in unhealthy conditions.”

Another villager Anandan said, “All along, the villagers have been kept in dark on the issue and the project would be detrimental to grazing lands.”

The other major concerns raised by Kuthambakkam villagers against the project were close range of habitation from the proposed site, livelihood issues, proposed site is a grazing land and catchments area. People also questioned the Rapid EIA report (three months) and they wanted comprehensive EIA report (one year).

Speaking to Express, R Elango, former president of Kuthambakkam panchayat, said, “Villagers are unhappy and the next step would be to look forward to the EIA committee’s response.”