ORDER

1. Mr. Rakesh Kumar D has sent by email the present letter petition to this Tribunal, which has been treated and registered as O.A. No. 73/2023.

2. The relevant part of the letter petition enumerating grievances of the applicant is reproduced as follows:-

X X X X “Sub: Complaint (cid:151) Violations in Construction and Commissioning of Sewage Treatment Plant and its Improper Maintenance in SBIOA Unity Enclave, Mambakkam, Chennai-600127 - DG Sets of the approved capacity not installed (cid:151) Surprise Inspection and Remedial Action (cid:151)

Requested (cid:151) Regarding.

X X X X I wish to bring to your notice that the Se age Treatment Plant in SBIOA Unit Enclave, Mambakkam, Chennai5-600127 (a gated corn nity as been constructed and commissioned in the Basement instead of above Ground Level by the promoter/builder State Bank of India Officers’ Association(Chennai Circle) against the Special Conditions stipulated in the Consent Order No. 6429 dated 17.4.2015 in Proceedings No.T10/TNPCB/ F-34341/MMN/OL/W/2015 dated 17.4.2015 of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. The Sewage Treatment Plant is also not maintained properly and hence is not functioning properly and the semi-treated STP water is disposed of to the nearby open ground in violation of Section 24 of The Water (Prevention and Control Of Pollution) Act, 1974, thereby causing a huge threat to the ground water quality of the adjacent well which is the primary source of drinking water to 1875 flats having approximately 5000 residents in SBIOA Unity Enclave.

2) It is also not known whether consent to operate the Sewage Treatment Plant has been accorded by the Board.

3) Out of the 8(eight) Air Blowers installed in the STP, 3(three) Air Blowers are not functional now.

4) Both the two Activated Carbon Filters and two Pressure Sand Filters in the STP are not at all functional now.

5) The UV Disinfection system and filter press in the STP are not functional now.

6) The Exhaust Fan Unit in the STP is not functional now.

7) Periodical cleaning of the components of the STP is not undertaken by the SBIOA Unity Enclave Owners’ Welfare Association.

8) The water supplied to the flush tanks of the flats is extremely bad in quality and black in colour with unbearable foul smell.

9) Samples of water from the nearby wells have never been taken for analysis at the Board’s Laboratory to develop baseline data.

10) If the quality of Raw Sewage Water and Treated Sewage Water is tested in the TNPCB’s Laboratory, Chennai, it will reveal the true picture of the functioning of STP in SBIOA Unity Enclave.

11) Also, the sewage water from the STP disposed of to the nearby open ground has led to severe criticism and objections by the land owners/farmers in the village that the sewage water has caused a huge threat to the ground water quality and has polluted and spoiled their lands and cultivation.

12) Moreover, DG Sets of the approved capacity have not been installed in the premises of SBIOA Unity Enclave: instead of the approved 3 Nos of 750 KVA DG sets, only 3 Nos of 500 KVA DG sets have been installed in violation of the special conditions stipulated in Consent Order No. 6368 dated 17.4.2015 in Proceedings No.T10/TNPCB/F-34341/MMN/OL/A/2015 dated 17.4.2015 of Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

I wish to bring to your notice that in addition to the above as per the CMDA report, we require 4 STP plants. However, currently we have only one which has been causing a lot of trouble in our community and is also affecting the nearby villages and the environment. Further as per the norms, the STP should not be in the basement which has been blatantly violated by the builder. Further, in order to allocate car parking, which is not in the plan, the STP has been reduced to a single plant. Thus the Builder SBIOACC has made unauthorized alterations against the Sanctioned Plan Approved by the DTCP, with a motive for selling the same to private individuals to allocate car parking to owners who are not eligible for car parki