IIT-Madras says it can’t nominate experts for NGT panel – Times of India

IIT-Madras

CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has said it is not in a position to nominate experts for a committee, constituted by the Southern Zone of the National Green Tribunal (SZ NGT), to inspect a bridge constructed over a water body on Chennai’s outskirts.
The tribunal has now directed state-run Anna University to take up the IIT’s task and submit a report soon. The said road overbridge constructed over Ponneri Lake in Konnerikuppam village connecting Chennai-Bengaluru national highways with Kancheepuram town, was inaugurated by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami two years ago.
Initial design of the bridge, which interfered with two ancient monuments, was changed.
A Ayubkhan, a local resident, alleged that the state highways department did not carry out an effective environment impact assessment (EIA) test before starting the construction as per the revised design and it will affect local water bodies.
The state highways department in response said the original estimated cost for the project was around 49 crore and it would almost triple if they changed the design again. Besides this, it will be a detour for vehicles.
Other related government departments argued that there will not be much disturbance to the water storage level in the said water bodies because of the construction.
Therefore, in order to ascertain this, SZ NGT in January constituted a committee comprising representatives from Kancheepuram collectorate, Pollution Control Board, the Union environment ministry and IIT among others.
IIT-M director Baskar Ramamurthy in response said they were not in a position now to nominate experts for this case as work already assigned to nominated experts in earlier cases was not completed yet.
However, the committee conducted a meeting with IIT-M representative and submitted an interim report during the recent hearing of case in May. Not satisfied with it, the NGT has replaced IIT with Anna University and the committee will submit a report within two months.