Madras High Court demands betterment of Pallikaranai marshland
Posted on: 03/Sep/2015 2:26:05 PM
The Madras High Court gas expressed concern over the Pallikaranai marshland’s shrinking size. It has directed the government to revert with details such as encroachment and dumping and burning of garbage.
The Court’s Justice N. Kirubakaran has declined the request from authorities to redefine marshland limits and uphold pattas granted to families that have lived nearby for more than 30 years. The move cam about when about 62 families approached the court and said that they had been living around the Pallikaranai marsh for more than 30 years.
In response, the Court has asked authorities to answer 10 questions and, in addition, to submit the original sketch of the marshland, which would be with the Forest Department. Justice Kirubakaran also asked about the original size of the marshland and the size now. He asked about encroaches and how much land they had occupied. He also asked the authorities to revert with the kind of action taken against the encroaches.
`The authorities shall spell out the action and prove it with documents. Is it a fact that garbage and waste material are being dumped by local bodies in the marshland`, he said.
Justice Kirubakaran asked for details on the extent of the dumping yard in Pallikaranai. He also asked if garbage was burnt there regularly. He also asked why there has not been a demarcation and fencing off of the entire marshland. He suggested that NGOs could be involved to protect the ecosystem. He said, `The marshland is sought to be sold through sale deed by the land grabbers, using fake documents, claiming that the marsh land belongs to Ettayapuram Zamin. On October 13, 2004, a sale deed was executed in favor of a trust called "Boomi Balaha" to convey 66.70 acres in Pallikaranai, but the sale deed was registered in Royapuram sub-registrar office which had no jurisdiction to register the document, he said. The matter is pending before the court.`
