CHENNAI: Flaying officials of government departments who collude with encroachers of waterbodies, the Madras High Court said the “judicial sword” would cut through the web so that water resources are passed on to future generations.
Justice M Dhandapani made the remarks recently while passing orders on a petition seeking restoration of electricity supply to a commercial establishment allegedly built encroaching a waterbody. He said there has been a calculated attempt by unscrupulous elements, with the connivance of revenue officials, to encroach upon waterbodies.
He added that in order to give legal colour to the encroachments, revenue records are mutated or the encroacher tries to obtain legal documents in the form of electricity connection. “This court cannot be a mute spectator to such acts... and the judicial sword has to definitely cut through the web so that water, which is the source of livelihood of living beings, is passed on to generation after generation,” he affirmed.
The petitioner Annamalai of Perumbakkam village in Tiruvallur district, sought the court to bring back electricity connection to his premises, where he was doing textile business. He said he had purchased the property from Sabira Begum. TANGEDCO officials submitted that the said property was located on government land classified as waterbody. Dismissing the petition, the judge ordered the Commissioner of Revenue Administration to take action to remove the encroachments.