The Madras High Court has given the Tamil Nadu government four weeks to conduct a survey and submit a report in a case seeking the removal of an alleged encroachment on 61.75 cents of government lake poramboke land in Veeraganur village, Salem district.
The petition was filed by M. Rajendran, a former councillor from Veeraganur. He has alleged that an individual illegally occupied the government land adjoining the lake and constructed a building on it. The petition also claimed that the Veeraganur town panchayat administration issued a house tax receipt for the property.
According to the petition, the land forms part of a water-retention area connected to the lake. Water leaking from the lake is collected in the area, helping raise groundwater levels in wells in surrounding localities, the petitioner stated. The petition argued that encroachment on the site could affect the functioning of this local water system.
Rajendran told the court that repeated representations had been submitted to the Public Works Department, the Revenue Department and the town panchayat administration seeking action against the alleged encroachment. The petition said no effective action had been taken despite those representations.
The case also referred to a 2014 government order issued by the Revenue Department concerning the removal of encroachments from government poramboke land adjoining water bodies. The petitioner argued that protecting water bodies and natural resources is a government responsibility and sought directions to remove encroachments from the Veeraganur site.
The petition came up before a division bench comprising Justices G. Jayachandran and E. Manoharan. Appearing for the government, officials sought four weeks to complete land-survey work and submit a report to the court. The bench accepted the request and granted the four-week period.
The order does not, at this stage, record a final finding on whether the land has been encroached upon or direct immediate demolition of the structure. The next step is the government survey and submission of its report, which is expected to establish the land’s boundaries, classification and the status of the construction referred to in the petition.
