The Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Chennai Central railway station and Tiruchi junction are among dozens of major railway stations across the country that are yet to comply with the green norms stipulated under various statutory rules of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
A joint inspection by CPCB and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) officials at the Central and Tiruchi railway stations in the Southern Railway, recently, revealed that both stations had not got the necessary approvals under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention and Control of Air Pollution) Act, 1981, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
With the National Green Tribunal directing the authorities concerned to ensure that the green norms are complied with, in a stipulated timeframe, the Ministry of Railways has written to general managers of all zonal railways to take immediate steps to comply with the CPCB guidelines, as regards environment management, particularly waste water and solid waste management.
The officials were told to obtain statutory approvals to meet safe environment standards from the competent authority.
The Central railway station, with a footfall of 1,57,074 a day and 54 originating/passing-through trains, had not obtained the consent of pollution control authorities, under the Water Act and the Air Act, for a solid waste processing facility, and plastic waste, e-waste and battery-waste disposal.
Inspecting officials recommended that a waste-to-energy plant be installed, and till then, suggested the provision of any treatment facility to manage wet waste (organic waste) and stop handing it over to the Chennai Corporation. Noise level checks were carried out at four locations, for half-an-hour, and the findings were found to be higher.
In Tiruchi too, the report said consent from pollution control authorities was not obtained under relevant provisions. The junction, with a footfall of 49,744 people a day, has 139 trains passing through the station and 33 trains originating from there. Among the recommendations for Tiruchi were installation of a waste-to-energy plant, provision of adequate rainwater harvesting structures to recharge groundwater in the area and installation of electromagnetic flow meters at various sources of generation of waste water and at the inlet/outlet of the water recycling plant.
Southern Railway spokesperson said the process of getting necessary approvals was under way.
