Tamil nadu: Water bodies encroached 13 collectors summoned
Out of 32 districts collectors only 19 district collectors have submitted their reports.
Chennai: It would be sort of a district collectors meeting in Madras high court on September 21 as it summoned 13 collectors to file a report in connection with the removal of encroachment on water bodies.
When a petition filed by K. Shanmugasundaram, president of ‘Iyarkai Valam Matrum Perumballa Odai Padukappu Nala Sangam’, Erode, came up for hearing before the division bench comprising Justices Huluvadi G. Ramesh and RMT. Teekaa Raman, it passed the direction.
After perusing reports filed by 19 other district collectors regarding the issue, the bench directed the remaining 13 collectors to appear before the court with all the details on September 21.
Shanmugasundaram pointed out that the high court in an order on April 12, 2010, directed the tahsildar, Erode Taluk to remove the obstructions in the Odai. Despite this, the tahsildar had not removed the encroachments to ensure the free flow of water. He sought for a direction to desilt and restore the water body in the Odai.
Earlier, when the matter came up for hearing the bench directed all the district collectors to submit a report in connection with the removal of encroachments from the water bodies.
The bench said, “this court time and again insisted upon the district authorities to submit a report with regard to removal of encroachments in the water bodies.
Out of 32 districts collectors only 19 district collectors have submitted their reports. The process of removal of encroachment involves conducting a survey, issuing notices to encroachers and with the aid of the village map, all the ponds and water bodies have to be checked and thereafter the encroachments have to be remo-ved. This process may take some time. But the matter is pending for more than two years. The exercise should have been made as per the directions issued by this Court time and again”.
“It appears that only some of the district collectors have filed their reports and some others have not submitted the reports. In spite of the repeated directions, they are not coming forward to carry out such exercise and to file reports. In the circumstances, the district collectors in the state who have not submitted their reports are directed to appear before this court on September 21, 2017, at 2.15 pm along with the details as regards what are all the steps they have taken to remove the encroachments and the progress made so far,” the bench said.