Chennai: The South Zone National Green Tribunal has issued an action order to the Kerala government to immediately stop the construction of a barrage across the Spider River without permission.
Spider river flows in Peruguda area of Idukki district of Kerala state. Irrigation water for 55 thousand acres of agricultural land in Tirupur and Karur districts is available from the water of the Spider River. As a result, thousands of farming families are dependent on the water of the Spider River. It is in this context that the Kerala government has started construction of a barrage across the Spider River. If this barrage is built, the livelihood of the farmers in the above areas will be totally destroyed.
Following this, Chief Minister Stalin wrote a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today requesting to abandon the construction of this barrage. In this case, after seeing this news published in the press, the Southern National Green Tribunal volunteered to investigate this case. Session Judicial Member Pushpa Satyanarayana and Technical Member K. Satya Gopal conducted the inquiry. A reply was filed on behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the tribunal members asked the Kerala government to seek permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and the National Wildlife Board to build a barrage across the river Spider. Only after obtaining this permission can permission be granted to proceed with the scheme. It ordered that the construction work carried out on the Spider River without obtaining proper permission should be stopped immediately. Further, the next hearing in the case was adjourned to July 23.
