THE Madras High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the State Government on a public interest writ petition that sought to put the administration on the mat for releasing untreated sewage water directly or indirectly into the city's waterways. Petitioner V Ravichandran, founder-chairman of an NGO, Cit izens Guardians, alleged that the government was not implementing the Chennai City River Conservation Project in its letter and spirit. A vacation bench comprising justices G Rajasuria and M Sathyanarayanan ordered notice to the authorities concerned, returnable in four weeks. According to the petitioner, the government had sanctioned Rs 491.52 crore for the Chennai City River Conservation Project (CCR CP), which was part of the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), for treatment and diversion of sewage water. But the project was not being implemented properly. Untreated sewage water was being let out into the Cooum, Buckhingham Canal, Otteri Nullah, Adyar River and other waterways. Improper planning resulted in overflowing of sewage water on many roads, polluting groundwater and posing serious health problems for the citizens, Ravichandran said. Norms specified in the Water and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts and Environment (Protection) Act were being flouted, the petitioner contended. Ravichandran prayed for a direction to the authorities to clean the waterways in and around the city and form an expert committee to monitor the implementation of the project.