CHENNAI: AS directed earlier, 13 District Collectors appeared before a division bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday with necessary documents relating to removal of encroachments in waterbodies in their respective districts.
A bench of justices Huluvadi G Ramesh and R M T Teekaa Raman told them that they were asked to appear only to understand the seriousness of the issue. The bench dispensed with their appearance in future. The judges advised them to act freely in the matter of removal of encroachments on waterbodies and government lands.
They should give preference to removing encroachments and were also told to transfer cases, if any, pending in the matter before lower courts in their respective districts to the bench. When the bench orally observed that without obtaining no-objection certificate (NOC) from District Revenue Officers, the registering authorities should not register any documents relating to government lands, Additional Advocate-General Manishankar told the judges that an order to this effect had been passed by another judge. The bench then posted the matter for November 17.