The National Green Tribunal directed the Chengalpattu District Collector and the National Highways Authority of India to file reports on the use of part of a pond for bridge construction.
Reports submitted to the tribunal said 3,460 square metres of the 15,000-square-metre Solaipoigai tank had been obliterated.
In Kerala, the tribunal sought details on brick kilns along the Ithikkara river and whether any operated during the three-year sand mining ban.
The NGT disposed of a case concerning quarrying near Irumankulam in Tamil Nadu after noting that restoration and regulatory action were already being carried out under Madras High Court orders.
The National Green Tribunal on July 29, 2026, directed the District Collector, Chengalpattu, and the National Highways Authority of India to file their respective reports, along with relevant documents, on the alleged obliteration of a pond for bridge construction.
The respondents have claimed that they had approval from the Tamil Nadu government as well as the Union government.
The applicant, Mallai Water Bodies Protection and Preservation Association, Mahabalipuram, was also directed to furnish the relevant page of the wetland atlas concerning Solaipoigai, which it said is a notified wetland under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
The matter relates to a portion of a waterbody being used by the National Highways Authority of India for the construction of a bridge.
Reports filed by the District Collector, Chengalpattu, and the National Highways Authority of India admitted that 3,460 square metres of the pond, out of its total area of 15,000 square metres, had been obliterated.
The reports stated that the edge of the Solaipoigai tank was affected because it was necessary to improve the geometric design of the highway between the at-grade junction and the major bridge to ensure the safety of road users. As compensation, four nearby tanks were desilted under the Amrit Sarovar scheme, the reports said.
There is no adequate sand available for mining in the Ithikkara river in Kollam, the NGT was told on July 29, 2026.
The District Collector’s report said a sand audit found no adequate sand availability for mining in the river. It also said the Revenue Department had issued a government order on May 30, 2023, banning sand mining in the Ithikkara river for three years.
The report informed the tribunal that the Local Self Government Department had been directed to inspect brick kilns operating along the riverbanks and take appropriate action to shut down illegal operations. Notices were accordingly issued to brick kiln operators.
After reviewing the report, the tribunal said it did not contain details on whether the brick kilns were operating with permission from the Revenue Department and consent from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. It also sought information on the duration for which they were permitted to operate, whether they operated during the ban period and what action was taken if they did.
The tribunal noted that the District Collector’s report was silent on whether any operation had taken place during the three-year ban period. The ban ended in May 2025, and it was also unclear whether the brick kilns were operating with or without permission thereafter.
The NGT directed that these details be furnished in the next report.
The Kerala State Pollution Control Board was directed to file an updated report listing brick kiln operators functioning with and without statutory permission, along with the current status of the brick kilns.
The District Collector was also asked to report whether illegal sand mining, apart from brick sand extraction, was taking place in the Ithikkara river. If the pollution control board, Local Self Government Department or District Collector found that operations took place during the ban period, the action taken must be mentioned, the order said.
The NGT’s southern bench on July 28, 2026, took up an application concerning quarrying activities that allegedly disrupted the natural drainage system and affected irrigation in Irumankulam village, Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu.
Inspection reports filed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the District Collector, Tenkasi, said the quarry is currently not in operation. No quarrying machinery was found at the site, transport permits had been suspended and authorities had initiated restoration of the Nilaviyal Odai in compliance with directions issued by the Madras High Court.
The inspection also found that the Poromboke Odai, a waterbody, continued to exist, the prescribed safety distance had been maintained and no quarrying activity was being carried out within the prohibited zone.
The tribunal said the issues raised in the application had been adequately addressed by the directions of the Madras High Court and the consequent action taken by the District Collector and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.
Since restoration of the Nilaviyal Odai and regulation of quarry operations were already being implemented under the High Court’s orders, no further interference by the tribunal was necessary, the order said.
The application was registered suo motu on the basis of a news report titled ‘Irumankulam villagers boycott poll as stone quarry near hamlet disrupts water for irrigation’, published in The Hindu on April 19, 2024.
The report said the reopening of a stone quarry and the operation of a blue metal crusher unit near Irumankulam village had disrupted irrigation water supply. Villagers opposed the reopening of the quarry and had decided to boycott elections in protest.