Swarna Shukla –
Published on: September 15, 2021 at 10:35 IST
The Madras High Court observed that the Water Bodies which are filled by rain, and become dry in other seasons have to be left “undisturbed” and the area where water gets accumulated in monsoon season also has to be taken care of, for the collection.
Chief Justice Sanjeeb Banerjee and Justice PD Audikesavalu gave the ruling while passing an Interim Order on a Public Interest Litigation ( PIL) from a Non-governmental organization (NGO).
The Petitioner claimed that the Government had made a Police Station on the Thamaraikani Lake and approached the Court for the lake’s restoration.
IIT Madras’ team of experts submitted a report stating construction of a police station on the water body and several other constructions has nearly ruined it.
The State, on its behalf, presented the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) map which had in its records that the said water body is marked but when dating back to 1987, it was marked as a grazing land under the control of the Animal Husbandry Department.
The Bench stated that the timing of recording of both the Revenue records and the CMDA would have been different.
Furthermore, the Court stated that the State should take all matters into consideration and then report to the Court in the next hearing.
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