Ariyalur: District collector A. Saravanavelraj here has scored a record of sorts by throwing out illegal farmers encroaching the Mangalam lake in Jayamkondam taluk so as to prevent recurrence of rain-floods caused by the choking of the water body.
Setting an example for delivery of critical solutions through pro-active bureaucracy, the officer summoned giant earthmovers on Friday to throw out 16 farmers who had been illegally enjoying an acre each of the lake bed to cultivate paddy for over 30 years. There was no resistance as the collector had given the farmers two months to complete their harvesting.
"These encroachers have been cultivating paddy on the lake bed for over 30 years. None in the village dared to challenge them though their paddy fields led to flooding of the village. Collector ayya rescued us now by clearing those encroachments", said G. Anbazhagan of Thandalai village most affected by the rain-floods due to the lake bed farms.
Collector Saravanavelraj told DC that he had initiated steps to free Ariyalur of rain-floods and one of the measures was to clear all the water bodies of their encroachments, besides de-silting them. "I found that more than 50 houses got flooded in the rain-floods last year at Thandalai and when I verified the land documents, I found that the people cultivating paddy on the lake bed had no ownership papers. I gave them two months to complete harvesting their standing crops and thereafter undertook the clearing operation. Now the lake bed is ready for the rains and Thandalai will not get flooded".
Ariyalur being a cement manufacturing centre, the collector has approached a couple of cement factories to sponsor the works relating to the strengthening of the lake bund. "It may cost five to six lakh rupees. I am seeking sponsors", said the collector.
One only hopes that the other babus are as pro-active as their Ariyalur kin so that Tamil Nadu could fare better when the monsoon hits in the next few days.
