CHENNAI: In a significant action for saving waterbodies from unscrupulous land sharks and squatters, the Madras High Court on Thursday issued a set of directions to the State government including prohibition of registration of land which is encroached upon waterbodies.
The first Bench of Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice PD Audikesavalu passed the orders on a batch of petitions relating to encroachment of waterbodies and removal of the encroachments.
“No registering authority under the Registration Act, 1908, shall register any document in respect of any land which has been notified as water body in the revenue records of the State as reflected in the official website Tamil Nilam of the government,” the Bench ordered.
The concerned authorities were ordered to seek a self-declaration from the applicants that the land is not located on waterbodies, before granting approval. The judges also directed that water and electricity connections shall not be given without getting the self-declaration; the concerned officials should also ensure the structures, for which such connections are sought, are not located on encroached waterbodies, they ordered.
The property tax should also not be collected without the declaration, they added. Penal action, along with disciplinary proceedings, must be initiated against officials who are found to grant permissions without ensuring that land or structures are not located on encroached waterbodies, the order said.