Date:31/10/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/10/31/stories/2006103115560400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Encroachers damage lake bunds once again

Staff Reporter

Official inactivity emboldens anti-social elements

DAMAGE CONTROL: Officials inspect widening of a drain and removal of obstacles for water flow on Pappaan' canal on Monday. — PHOTO: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM : With the official agencies entrusted with the task of protecting water bodies mostly inactive, anti-social elements are having a free run damaging lake bunds and diverting water channels to protect their own property from flooding.

It is almost a repeat of what happened during the monsoon last year, when encroachers, backed by anti-social elements, damaged lakes and even used explosives to break lake bunds to drain water from the lakes so that encroachments could be protected.

In the last two days, an inlet channel at Perungulathur was deepened so that water from the `periya eri' lake could be drained away from the water body.

On Monday, M. Mathivanan, Joint Director of Town Panchayats, inspected areas that were inundated in the Tambaram area. And at Perungulathur, the town panchayat officials inspected the widening and deepening of `Paappaan' canal that drains rain water from Perungulathur area. At Peerkankaranai town panchayat, the officials inspected rain affected areas and supervised relief works.

Revenue officials said 250 families in low-level areas of Okkiyam Thoraipakkam were evacuated and accommodated at St. Joseph's School in Vettuvankeni; 25 families of Semmancheri were accommodated in a community centre in the area. Food packets were provided to all the evacuated families.