1 hour ago
1
The Tamil Nadu Information Commission (TNIC) has urged the State authorities to evict encroachments and reconstruct Sathangadu Lake successful Tiruvallur territory to its archetypal geographical grade of 135 acres from the contiguous 70 acres.
With Revenue Department officials admitting successful penning that astir 60 acres of the water had been encroached upon by assorted nationalist and backstage organisations, including Government of India undertakings, State Information Commissioner R. Priyakumar asked the Tiruvallur Collector to accord apical precedence to the contented and instrumentality stringent enactment successful accordance with the instrumentality to reconstruct the water successful its entirety.
He besides requested the Commissioner of Revenue Administration and Disaster Management to straight supervise the eviction of encroachments and guarantee measures were taken to support the water from aboriginal encroachments. The Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Revenue Department was directed to look successful idiosyncratic earlier the Commission and taxable an enactment taken study connected July 30.
The lawsuit arose from a petition filed by S. Anandan of Manali, who stated the archetypal grade of Sathangadu Lake, measuring 135 acres, had shrunk to 70 acres owed to encroachments implicit the years. Seeking details of the lake’s grade arsenic per authoritative records, helium filed an exertion nether the Right to Information Act, 2005.
The petitioner besides submitted a study published successful The Hindu connected March 28, 2008, successful which the past Tiruvallur Collector was quoted arsenic stating the water extended implicit 135 acres. As nary satisfactory reply was forthcoming from the PIO oregon the First Appellate Authority, Mr. Anandan filed an entreaty earlier the TNIC.
When the substance came up earlier Mr. Priyakumar, helium directed the Tiruvottiyur Tahsildar to furnish accusation connected the lake’s grade arsenic recorded successful authoritative documents and details of encroachments, if any.
He warned that the maximum punishment of ₹25,000 would beryllium imposed connected the PIO and disciplinary enactment initiated if helium failed to supply the accusation sought by the petitioner.
Joint inspection done
In his report, the Tahsildar informed the Commission a associated inspection had been conducted successful the water country on with officials from the Survey Department.
The inspection revealed that 2 nationalist assemblage enterprises nether the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India, with offices located successful Sathangadu and 2 backstage petrochemical companies had encroached upon astir 10 acres of the waterbody for much than 15 to 20 years. The study further stated a residential country named MGR Nagar, dispersed implicit astir 10 acres, was location to astir 200 families. The encroachments besides included a temple and a nationalist toilet constructed by the State government.
Expressing superior interest implicit the encroachments and their interaction connected the situation and h2o resources successful the locality, Mr. Priyakumar observed protecting waterbodies was not lone the work of the authorities but besides a corporate work of the people.
Speaking to The Hindu connected the issue, Mr. Priyakumar said Sathangadu Lake was not lone a large root of h2o for respective residential and concern areas successful northbound Chennai but besides served arsenic a situation for galore taxon of migratory birds.
The demolition of the waterbody done unchecked encroachments, helium said, would origin irreversible harm to some the situation and industry.
He said his proposal to the due authorities to evict encroachments and reconstruct the waterbody were based connected G.O. (Ms.) No. 540 of the Tamil Nadu government, which mandated each District Collectors to signifier redressal committees for removing encroachments connected authorities lands, arsenic good arsenic the Tamil Nadu Protection of Tanks and Eviction of Encroachment Act, 2007.
Mr. Priyakumar further stated his bid was successful consonance with respective Supreme Court rulings that came down heavy connected encroachments connected waterbodies.
