Madras High Court issues notice to AGP on petition by panchyat president

Madras High Court on Thursday issued notice to Additional Government Pleader on a petition by President of Sonalur Panchayat in Kancheepuram District,seeking to restrain the District Collector and other authorities from allowing extraction of water by digging deep borewells.

Justice V.Ramasubramanian who issued notice to AGP, posted the matter for further hearing to 11/11/2014. In his petition the panchayat president alleged that some persons had started digging deep borewells to a depth of 400 feet and were extracting the water for commercial purposes.

The water was loaded onto tankers and sold in Chennai and suburban areas he alleged. This had resulted in depletion of groundwater table and water shortage even for daily use. Digging of nearby roads was posing a serious threat to their lives, particularly school going children.

He further said the panchayat could now supply water to to villagers only once a week because of the huge extraction of water. Though he already had made representations to the Block Development officer , Thiruporur Panchayat Union and Village Administrative Officer on May 6 2014,no action had been taken he then made a representation to the Kancheepuram District Collector May 10.

The petitioner said that resolutions were also passed in this regard and the collector requested to take steps to prevent tapping and taking away of water from the village through tankers lorries for commercial purposes. As there was no response from the authorities he mvoed the court.