HC directs State government to open dedicated website for waterbodies Drought mitigation meeting conducted
Website should contain details pertaining to waterbodies like survey number, physical location, details of village, taluk and district and extent (both original and present); the area and dimensions have to be precisely measured and catalogued
Emphasising the importance of protecting waterbodies, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday issued a series of directions to the State government to comply with. The court has directed the State to open a dedicated website containing an exhaustive list of all waterbodies in Tamil Nadu.
A Division Bench of Justices G. R. Swaminathan and B. Pugalendhi observed that the website should contain relevant details pertaining to waterbodies (including tanks, lakes, rivers, kanmois, etc...,), survey number, physical location, details of village, taluk and district and extent (both original and present). Their area and dimensions would have to be precisely measured and catalogued. The website meant for viewing by all should be opened in six months, the court directed.
From the village level onwards, the exercise of collating details will be undertaken and certified at the taluk level. If the details were found to be incorrect, any individual can bring it to the notice of the court and the court will initiate appropriate proceedings against the person responsible for furnishing incorrect data. The officials should therefore undertake not only physical inspection but also verify the official records, court directed.
Further, the court directed that the existing encroachments on waterbodies shall be identified and removed. If constructions have been made, they shall be demolished. Further encroachments shall not be permitted.
Pattas issued in respect of waterbodies after January 1, 2000, shall be cancelled and waterbodies shall be restored to their original position. Development projects will be conceived and implemented in a manner not to affect the integrity of the waterbodies in any manner. The waterbodies including tank bunds shall be maintained intact and proper distance shall be reserved, the the court directed.
Waterbodies belong to society. Their ownership may technically rest in local bodies/departments/ government. But, they are a gift of nature and have to be available not only to human beings but also to animals and birds. It is the duty of the officials to ensure that the quality of water is not affected in any manner, the court observed.
The court issued the directions on the public interest litigation petitions filed in 2023 by advocate R. Manibharathi of Madurai. The petitioner challenged the implementation of projects involving formation of roads on the bunds of Vandiyur and Thenkal tanks in Madurai.
“The petitioner ought to have moved the court the moment the project works commenced. He invoked our jurisdiction after the implementation of the project had substantially progressed. We are satisfied that the project has been conceived only in larger public interest. The order restraining the implementation of the projects stand lifted. The works can resume”, the court observed and disposed of the petitions.
The court observed that in Madurai region, a number of waterbodies some of them very large have already disappeared. “We note with pain that a number of court complexes are located in what were originally tanks,” the bench observed.
District Collector K. Shanthi on Thursday instructed zonal officers to carry out field visits across blocks and identify areas battling water crisis and address complaints at the earliest.
Chairing a meeting with the line departments at the
Collectorate, the Collector also instructed officials to prioritise complaints from those inhabiting the margins of the society, particularly of Irular colonies.