Chennai: In a first step towards retrieving encroached areas on Pallikaranai marshland, the forest department has begun issuing eviction notices to several residents who had raised structures illegally on the wetlands.
District Forest Officer (DFO) K. Asokan told DC that at least 11 hectares of the wetlands comprising Ambedkar Nagar, Mahalakshmi Nagar, Quaid-e-millath Nagar, Mettukuppam among others have been encroached upon. “We have identified about 700 persons who have built structures on encroached wetlands,” Asokan added.
A team of forest officials along with police personnel visited the residences four days ago and issued eviction notices to the residents.
“The residents were hostile when we visited. So, we pasted the notices on the compound walls,” a forest official said.
Forest department said that the eviction notice was issued in concurrence with section 68-A of the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, according to which the department may evict any person who has been illegally occupying land in reserved forest area.
The recipients of the notice are expected to respond within a fortnight with a plausible reply failing which apart from eviction, the properties will also be forfeited, the notice read. Residents in these areas however argued that they have been living here for decades and are entitled to get pattas.
Retired Forest ranger Ramadoss who had served in the region said that most of the land was encroached by land grabbers, each marking their own territory and selling them to gullible public. “They have been filing writ petitions to get a stay order in the court. But, the court had repeatedly ruled against their petitions”, Ramadoss said.
In March this year, the state government declared that properties on wetlands across the state would not be registered henceforth after it was found that several encroachments are done through bogus documents.
The Pallikaranai marshland comes under the Forest department and is one of the last remaining wetlands in the country spreading over 694 hectares and attracts several migratory birds every year.
