Forest officials seek fix to waste dump near Perumbakkam ASI site

CHENNAI: The forest department has sought the intervention of the Chengalpattu district administration to find a permanent solution to the recurring dumping and burning of municipal waste along the Perumbakkam reserve forest, on land that falls within a megalithic site protected by.

Key points

• Chennai district forest officer V Saravanan remarked the department has written to the district collector seeking a solution to the waste-management challenge.
• According to Forest authorities, the location where waste is at present being dumped and burnt falls within the ASI-protected site, but is a revenue land.
• The tribunal had directed the Chengalpattu collector to identify a scientifically suitable alternative facility for collection, segregation, processing and scientific disposal of waste generated by Perumbakkam panchayat.
• We have written to the collector requesting a permanent solution for this recurring matter.

"We have written to the collector requesting a permanent solution for this recurring matter. The forest ranger has additionally written to the Perumbakkam panchayat, warning them against burning waste on the forest fringes as it can lead to forest fires, " he informed TNIE.

Meanwhile, the forest department has additionally requested the district administration to implement the directions issued by the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in its September 22 order in the Perumbakkam waste-dumping case.

Notably, the tribunal had directed the Chengalpattu collector to identify a scientifically suitable alternative facility for collection, segregation, processing and scientific disposal of waste generated by Perumbakkam panchayat. It had further directed the ASI to safeguard the protected monument and ensure that no activity affecting the protected or prohibited area is undertaken without requisite permission.

According to Forest authorities, the location where waste is at present being dumped and burnt falls within the ASI-protected site, but is a revenue land. The Perumbakkam megalithic cists and cairns form a 157.31-acre centrally protected area that includes the reserve forest land.

In short, forest officials seek fix to waste dump near Perumbakkam ASI site is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.