Toxic Waste Pollution

Madras HC judge lashes out at port for failing to curb pollution

CHENNAI: Madras high Court judge Elipe Dharma Rao has criticised Chennai Port Trust for failing to follow the court's orders to control pollution.

"The port has always exhibited a callous attitude to combat pollution, in spite of repeated directions and observations by the Madras high court and the Pollution Control Board," he told a seminar organised by the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law university to mark World Environment Day on Saturday.

"The so called measures adopted by them have been inadequate in the direction of addressing the pollution hazard and do not inspire any confidence in our minds that Chennai port will ever be able to combat the menace," he said, adding that the Madras high Court has been quite active in ruling in favour of environment.

"The orders show a toughness in approach adopted by us in environment issues. The judicial forum had

exhibited zero tolerance to pollution menace," he added.

As a judge sitting on the green bench, he had the opportunity to observe various types of frauds being perpetuated to destroy nature for personal gains under the name of industrialisation, he said. Development should not be at the cost of ecology and ecosystem.

Detailing an order pronounced to save the environment, Dharma Rao said that the Madras high court has ordered the Tuticorin Port Trust, Customs and the Central Pollution Control Board to re-export a consignment of hazardous waste back to the USA. The hazardous waste was imported under the name of paper.

Gurjit Singh , vice chancellor of the National Law School, Guwahati, said that public participation was crucial along with judicial orders.

"Things do not improve by courts passing orders. Public participation is important," he added.

toxicswatch-alliance against pollution & corporate crimes ...

ToxicsWatch Alliace keeps track of callousness, corporate crimes, military-mining-industrial complex & their impact on humans, wildlife & ecosystem. It resists adverse impacts of corporate policies. It is allied to WaterWatch Alliance. It advocates car free culture. Its a member of No to Nuclear Energy Forum & All India Coordination Committee of Anti-Nuclear Movements. Visit:www.toxicswatch.com, banasbestosindia.blogspot.com, imowatch.blogspot.com 05.05.2011: An open public meeting was organized by Okhla RWAs at Ramjani Masjid, to make people aware about the fast upcoming Mega Waste to Energy Plant, Okhla and health hazards due to its TOXIC emissions. The meeting was addressed by local representatives and residents from Sukhdev Vihar. They declared to hold a rally on 7th May, 2011. The peaceful march will start at 5 PM from Jamia School and terminate at Mathura Road. May 19, 2011 – Residents of the Okhla colonies marched Thursday to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to protest against the “utter lawlessness” of Jindal Ecopolis in building a toxic waste-to-energy incinerator in a thickly populated part of South Delhi. The residents presented a memorandum to environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh saying: “With so many conspicuous violations, this project should have been scrapped by now. No accountability is being fixed on those responsible for clearing and justifying this project. “ Ramesh says, "India has not caused the problem of global warming but we want to make sure we're part of the solution. The stalemate in negotiations has not been caused by China and India, The make-or-break issue is emissions cuts. If there's no agreement on that, there's no agreement in Copenhagen. One large mega agreement to solve all the problems is not on the cards in Copenhagen. I would say the developed world should be less evangelical and I think the developing world should be less polemical as far as Copenhagen is concerned," Ramesh said on a visit to Washington. It is noteworth that he was one of the few politicians who opposed the controversial Interlinking of Rivers project in the parliament. It was considered world's biggest project. Jairam Ramesh was formerly the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry as well as the Minister of State for Power. He is a Rajya Sabha member from the Indian National Congress. He is also the author of the book 'Making Sense of Chindia’.

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