Chaini Parwani –
Published On: October 23, 2021 at 11:30 IST
The Madras High Court on directed the Tamil Nadu Government to Draft a scheme to Rehabilitate those encroaching Water Bodies.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audukesavalau stated “Even if it is accepted that the occupants are rank trespassers, who have willy-nilly settled into the edges of the waterbody, it is for the State to formulate a scheme for their rehabilitation.”
Further the Bench processed Interim Orders on a Batch of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) Petitions pleading to abolish the encroachments on the water bodies, waterways and tanks, including the one at Chitlapakkam in the City.
Furthermore, the Bench observed that the water bodies have to be rescued and the encroachers have to be withdrawn as it would benefit the State to Draft a scheme under which the encroachers at the Chitlapakkam lake may be for time being sheltered at some place while permanent Dwellings are composed on a long-term basis.
The Bench also pointed out that only the long-term occupants may avail benefit, those of the encroachers who have come in latterly may not be promptly entitled to be rehabilitated.
The Government had earlier highlighted that some of the occupants had stretched their areas of occupation to transgress from one survey number to another and Pleaded to take benefit of such Unethical exercise to indicate that the Orders addressed to them concern to the erroneous survey number.
Also Read: Madras High Court: Illegal Encroachment is crime if Public Law involved
