‘Use earthmovers to send a clear note to encroachers’

Chennai

The first bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made this observation while passing interim orders on a plea moved by Arappor Iyakkam relating to encroachments in the Chitlapakkam lake from the Tambaram and Pallavaram side, along with discharge of sewage into the lake. Expressing dissatisfaction over the government’s stoic response on encroachment in waterbodies, the Chief Justice said cities would die if waterbodies are killed and flats were getting flooded because they are choked. “There is a complete lack of intention on the part of the State to protect waterbodies. We would like to see earthmoving machines being deployed to remove such encroachment in waterbodies so that it sends a clear message to others to restrain from resorting to such encroachment.

“But for political reasons you will not do it and adopt defective procedures in removing them, enabling the encroachers to make a challenge,” the bench added while directing the Tambaram tahsildar to file a status report on the present status of encroachment in the lake despite an order being issued in this regard on September 18, 2019.

Arappor Iyakkam had moved the public interest litigation seeking to protect the Chitlapakkam lake, spread over 119 acres, by forming an earth bund around the lake along with a pathway by removing the encroachments. It had also sought to restrain the officials from converting the lake and its adjoining areas into a park, landfill or garbage dump and subsequently connect the lake with the lakes at Selaiyur and Sembakkam.

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for Arappor Iyakkam alleged the Tambaram and Pallavaram Municipalities of letting sewage into the lake.