HC restrains new constructions in Thallakulam tank in Madurai

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court today restrained Tamil Nadu government from making any new constructions other than the Rs 100-crore World Tamil Sangam building coming up at the Tallakulam Tank here.
A bench, comprising Justices V.Ramasubramanian and N. Kirubakaran, said except completing the on-going construction, no new building activity should be taken up and channels and the other areas of the tank should remain a waterbody.
The judges were passing orders on a petition by President of the Sambiranipatti Farmers' Association Gopalakrishnan seeking removal of all buildings that had come up in the 'kanmoi' and restore the tank to its original status.

The petitioner submitted that the kanmoi's original extent was 52 acres. Already, a vast area had been allegedly encroached by government offices, including Corporation building, Eco Park and the tank had substantially shrunk to about 14 acres.
Now the construction of World Tamil Sangam was going on without the land being assigned to the Tamil Sangam and with reclassification of the land.
Construction work was going on in a water body despite the Supreme Court's strict instruction that water bodies should not be allowed to be encroached and they should be protected, he said adding the state was duty-bound to protect the tank for ecological balance.