The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : `52.24 acres of Vandiyur tank encroached upon'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

`52.24 acres of Vandiyur tank encroached upon'

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, NOV.24. The Madurai Collector, D. Raajendiran, in his report filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on the Vandiyur irrigation tank here, today stated that nearly 52.24 acres of the tank had been encroached upon or put to other uses.

The report also stated that though the original capacity of the tank was 106.03 mcft., it has now come down to just 66 mcft., due to silting.

The Bench, hearing a writ petition preferred by the Walkers' Club on October 13, had directed the Collector to file a detailed report with regard to the lake and the extent of encroachments. When the matter came up for hearing today, Justice S. Sardar Zackria Hussain posted the matter for further hearing on Tuesday.

Stating that the tank was initially spread over an area of 691.26 acres in Vandiyur, Melamadai, Uthangudi, Managiri and Tallakulam villages of Madurai North taluk, the report claimed that at present the tank was spread to the extent of 639.02 acres and that its ayacut was also reduced from 963.56 acres to 634. 46 acres since the rest of 329.10 acres had been converted into housing plots.

Mr. Raajendiran, in his report, also agreed that nearly 6.94 acres was encroached upon at Vandiyur alone and other structures, including a Vinayagar temple, a cemetery and a skating rink had occupied 2.81 acres of the tank. However, the Collector ascertained that the feeder channels of the tank were in a good condition and free from encroachments and that the present capacity of the tank was sufficient to meet the requirements for irrigation.

The tank had a combined catchment area of 37.89 square miles and a free catchment area of four square miles spread over the Sirumalaiyar reserve forests and at present the tank received supply through the Sathaiyur odai, Eachanodai below the Palayampatti tank and the ninth branch canal of the Periyar Main Canal, the report stated.

Mr. Raajendiran also asserted that the skating rink built in the park area was a wholly Government owned project carried out by the Public works Department, using the funds collected under the `namakku naame' scheme.

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