A petition against the proposed Rs 100-crore World Tamil Sangam complex in the city has been filed in the Madras High Court Bench here.
The petition by a PIL litigant and environmentalist sought a stay on the construction of the complex on Tallakulam Tank bed, contending that the tank was the main source of water for the city.
Justices S.Tamilvanan and V.S.Ravi ordered issue of notice to the officials, including the Principal Secretaries of Revenue and PWD and Tamil Development and Information departments, returnable in three weeks.
Petitioner K.P.Kalidass said the city needed more tanks like Tallakulam to meet its water needs as well as maintaining the ground water level. But the government proposed to build the Sangam at a cost of Rs.100 crore encroaching the 14.15 acre tank.
Several tanks in the district had been destroyed systematically and it was necessary to restore the Tallakulam tank, the petitioner said.
The government without considering the depletion of water sources had alienated the tank for construction of the Tamil Sangam building, he contended.
The G.O.For creation of Tamil Sangam was issued in 1982 and Rs 10 lakh allotted then for the building to come up at Tallakulam. Now the cost had escalated to Rs 100 crore and the work on laying foundation pillars had commenced, he said.
