Electricity theft, HC warns action under Goondas act

CHENNAI: A division bench comprising Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy on Tuesday ordered the state government to consider taking action under the Goondas Act against those involved in electricity theft for electric fences in the forest areas.

When the petitions related to protection of wild animals, protection of elephants and prevention of poaching, appointment of forest department officials came up for hearing on Tuesday, as ordered early, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Srinivas R Reddy and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) CMD and TANTRANSCO Chairman Rajesh B Lakhoni appeared before the division bench.

Additional Advocate General J Ravindran submitted that a policy has been issued in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly to prevent elephants from being electrocuted, in which it is planned to take measures such as finding the routes of elephants, conducting joint inspections, repairing low lying power lines and poles within one year and the draft rules related to setting up an electric fences will be finalised soon.

"Also, the electricity was being stolen from electric fences on the agricultural lands in forest areas, " AAG informed the court.

Subsequently, the bench directed the state government to consider taking action under the Goondas Act against those involved in electricity theft for electric fences in the forest areas.

Responding to this, AAG said that the farmer who erected the electric fence in the incident where three jumbos were killed in Dharmapuri has been jailed under the Goondas Act.

Accepting the arguments, the bench adjourned the hearing to June 8 and exempted the two officers from appearing in person.

Earlier, when a case for banning plastic bottles in hill stations came up for hearing before the division bench, the petitioner contended that the drinking water ATMs which were set up in Kodaikanal were not functioning properly.

Responding to this, counsel TS Mohamed Mohideen appeared for Kodaikanal Municipality submitted that the municipality installed water ATMs in Kodaikanal but unfortunately some miscreants broke open the ATM and stole the money from it.

Accepting this, the court ordered the Collector, Theni District to file a report on the implementation of the plastic ban in the Megamalai hill area and adjourned the cases related to forest protection to June 8.