MADURAI: Expressing concern over pollution of water bodies that are leased out by the state government to private individuals by granting fishing rights, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, on Monday directed the government to conduct an audit of all water bodies in Thanjavur district, as an initial measure, to study the impact of fish rearing activities on the quality of water in them.
A Bench of justices R Subramanian and L Victoria Gowri, who gave the direction, said fishing rights are generally granted through public auction to harvest the fish that naturally grow in ponds belonging to panchayats, local bodies, and temples.
"But the successful bidders start cultivating fish by using chemicals and also feeding the fish with other excreta which leads to large-scale pollution of all these water bodies. Due to this, many water bodies in Tamil Nadu, particularly in Thanjavur, have become unfit to even bathe cattle," the judges observed.
They added the principal secretaries of agriculture, fisheries, and other departments and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) as parties in the case and issued notice to them. As an initial measure, the above authorities, in consultation with the TNPCB, should conduct an audit of all the water bodies in Thanjavur district with specific attention on the impact of fish-rearing activities on the quality of water in the water bodies in which fishing rights have been granted, the judges directed. They added that a report should be filed in this regard by the next hearing on September 12.
The directions were issued on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the president of Udaiyalur village panchayat, Selvi Ilayaraja, to cancel the auction held on November 9, 2022, for granting fishing rights with respect to five water bodies in the village. Selvi alleged that the HR and CE joint commissioner of Mayiladuthurai and the executive officer of Kailasanathar Lakshminarayana Perumal temple granted the fishing rights without her knowledge and by violating the Tender Transparency Act.
HMK chief files plea to quash 2 criminal cases
Madurai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras HC sought a counter affidavit from state police on two petitions filed by Hindu Makkal Katchi state president Arjun Sampath to quash two criminal cases pending against him in Dindigul and Virudhunagar lower courts. The first case was registered on charges that Sampath, on February 7, 2016, spoke at the Dindigul press club in a manner promoting disharmony between Hindus and Muslims. The second petition was jointly filed by Sampath and S Nithish Kumar for a case against them by Rajapalayam police for canvassing votes for the Tenkasi parliamentary elections in 2019 without getting prior permission.