CHENNAI: If you thought the city’s solid waste could be handled properly in the near future, you are wrong. Holding that the State government does not have the jurisdiction to provide environment clearance for projects within 10 km radius of a national park, a Circuit Bench of the National Green Tribunal here on Friday set aside clearance provided to the Chennai Corporation’s proposed solid waste management facility in Perungudi.The project proponents were directed by the Bench, consisting of Justice CV Ramulu and expert member R Nagendran, to file fresh applications with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to obtain clearance for it. Passing the order, Justice Ramulu said that according to notifications of the MoEF, any project that was within a 10 km radius of a sanctuary or a national park, came under Category A and those beyond were under Category B.As per the report by the principal chief conservator of forests and the chief wildlife warden of Tamil Nadu, which was requisitioned by the Bench, it was clear that the distance between the two nearest points of the proposed site in Perungudi and the Guindy National Park was within 10 km. “The distance from the chosen points have been measured as 5.6 km and 6.2 km in the report of the authority,” he said.The bench said the measurement submitted by the appropriate State agencies, as pointed out by counsel for the petitioner, Ritwick Dutta, was road distance and not as the crow flies. “Pollution does not travel by road,” Justice Ramulu said.
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