Tamil Nadu   

Bench orders Collector to probe damage to riverbank

Staff Reporter

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Thanjavur Collector to enquire into the alleged damage caused to the sandbank along the Cauvery at Kollidam.

Passing interim orders on a public interest litigation petition filed by a villager, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah and Justice P.P.S. Janarthana Raja ordered the Collector to submit his report within two weeks.

The petitioner, S. Thanikachalam, said though the Government had taken over most of the sand quarries, some were still operated by private contractors who had obtained favourable orders from the Supreme Court. Such a contractor was mining sand on the riverbed at Kollidam. To quarry as much sand as possible, he had damaged the sandbank at a point where the river takes a turn to the south. This "illegal" act had been committed to facilitate accumulation of sand in a particular area. The district administration had failed to prevent it, he said.

Recalling that during the 2006 floods the villages around Kollidam were unaffected, he said harming the riverbank would endanger the lives of hundreds of villagers if similar floods occurred in future. There were large-scale protests against damaging the bank, but the officials expressed their inability to initiate any action because the contractor was armed with the Supreme Court order.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Capturing legacy through pictures
Court rejects contempt plea against Veeramani
Court summons actor Vijayashanthi
Cool stroll
CBI quizzes lawyer in fake insurance scam
ICMR to study alcohol, tobacco addiction
Call to revive coir training centre
Indo-British ties gaining in strength, says official
Bench orders Collector to probe damage to riverbank
State Minorities Commission wants statutory powers
Coal cargo traffic in Chennai port likely to dip
Briefly

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu