Remove encroachment from catchment area: HC to Villupuram admin

CHENNAI: The first division bench of the Madras High Court ordered the Villupuram district administration to conduct a survey and remove the encroachments from a poramboke land and water catchment area in a village near Melmalayanur town.

The bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy passed the orders on hearing a petition filed by S Dhayalan. The petitioner alleged that nine people from the Sirudalaipoondi village near Melmalayanur village had occupied the government land and water catchment area and the same should be removed immediately.

The petitioner submitted copies of the 'A' register (record of the land document held by VAO) in respect of the survey numbers of the particular land and informed the court that the said lands are classified as Kulam, Periya Lake, Chinnakulam, Siththeri, etc.

P Muthukumar, Government Pleader, sought time to verify the veracity of the nature of the land. He further assured that if encroachment was identified, it would be removed immediately.

Recording the submissions, the ACJ granted six weeks of time to the district administration to conduct the survey in the disputed land to find out the encroachment. "if any encroachment is found, the same shall be removed after issuing notice to the encroachers. The entire exercise is to be completed within a period of six weeks, " the court ordered.