Remove all encroachments in Kanyakumari district: Madras high court to collector
Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Kanyakumari district collector to identify and remove all the encroachments in water bodies, water resources and government poramboke lands in the district.
Justice S.M.Subramaniam gave the directive while rejecting a plea from C.Thankappan, which sought a direction to the authorities to assign 1.50 acres of Odai Poramboke to him in Kanyakumari district.
The Kanyakumari district collector is directed to conduct a review meeting with the officials concerned of all the departments to identify all the encroachments in water bodies, water resources and government poramboke lands in Kanyakumari district within 2 weeks. The Kanyakumari district collector is directed to issue suitable orders/instructions/circulars to all the officials concerned to initiate immediate action to evict all such encroachers in government poramboke lands, water bodies and water resources, the judge added.
The judge said in the event of any failure, negligence or dereliction of duty on the part of the officials concerned then the Kanyakumar district collector was directed to initiate appropriate prosecution and departmental disciplinary proceedings against all such government officials under the Discipline and Appeal Rules in force. Such a clause must be incorporated in the circular/instructions to be issued by the district collector, while directing the officials concerned to identify the encroachments in public lands, water bodies and water resources for the purpose of eviction.
“It is made clear that there cannot be any leniency or misplaced sympathy in respect of the actions to be taken against all such inefficient officials and the officials, who are committing an act of dereliction of duty”, the judge added.
The judge said suitable circulars/instructions to be issued by the Kanyakumari district collector to all the officials concerned to protect the government poramboke lands, government properties, water resources and water bodies in the manner prescribed under law. The Superintendent of Police, Kanyakumari district was directed to provide adequate protections to all the officials concerned for the purpose of initiating actions to evict the encroachers from the government poramboke lands, water bodies and water resources in Kanyakumari district, the judge added.
