Chennai, Sep 5 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government will soon constitute a committee headed by the Additional chief secretary to take immediate action on the pollution hazards due to chromium waste in Ranipet area.

The decision follows a directive of the Southern bench of the National Green

Tribunal (NGT).

A division bench of the NGT comprising Justice K. Ramakrishnan and Member Expert, Dr. Satyagopal Korlapeti has called upon the state government to constitute a committee headed by additional chief secretary of department of environment, climate change and forest as chairman. The NGT also directed the committee to remedy the damage caused by the Chromium contamination at Ranipet. The green body has also directed the state government to provide ample funds for an immediate action plan.

The compensation for those affected by pollution in the area is to be received from the industries that have contributed to the contamination on the basis of the Polluter Pay Principle.

Periodic reports are to be filed and a health committee is to be formed by the Central Pollution Control board within 6 months and it should monitor the people in the area.

It is to be noted that the Central Pollution Control Board filed a report in 2020 after inspecting 349 industries and of which 47 were found to be water polluting.

The committee also found out that Oxalic acid was identified in most of the areas around SIPCOT industrial area and in all water bodies. The presence of Hexavalent Chromium was also identified from an area of around 2km and was found to be the onsite dumping of waste from industrial units.

After closely monitoring the issue, the NGT ordered the state government to immediately take measures to bring out a solution to the teething problem.