Snap EB connection to illegal brick kilns: HC warns Tangedco chairman

CHENNAI: A division bench of Madras High Court on Tuesday warned that it would summon Tamil Nadu Power Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) chairman if he fails to disconnect the power connection to the illegal brick kilns in the Coimbatore district.

The bench comprising Justice N Sathish Kumar and Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy made the above observation on hearing a batch of petitions. The petitioners prayed for a direction to the state and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to close all the illegal brick kilns on the elephants' corridor in the Thadagam area of the Coimbatore district.

When the matter came, a petitioner's counsel complained that Tangedco has not taken any step to disconnect the EB service connection to the illegal brick kilns.

Recording the submissions, the judges marked their displeasure against Tangedco for not suspending the EB service to the brick kilns which are functioning without the permission of the competent authorities and posing threat to the environment as well as the elephants.

The judges granted time till February 21 to the Tangedco to cut off the connections to such brick kilns otherwise the chairman of the Tanged co will be summoned to present before the court.