No court orders required to protect government or public land: Madras HC

CHENNAI: Making it clear that no court orders are required to protect government or public lands and it was the responsibility of Collectors, Madras High Court directed Tamil Nadu government to examine it and entrust it to officers concerned for more effective mechanism at district level.

The First bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan gave this direction on a petition by one P Rajendran, seeking a direction to Tiruvallur District Collector and revenue officials of Ponneri taluk,to remove all encroachments on lands at Periayakavanam village.

The bench said it is the Collectors' responsibility to ensure that public land is protected and not encroached upon and does not require orders from the Court.

The HC said it would like the Chief Secretary to look into it and entrust it to officers concerned for more effective monitoring at district level to ensure protection of the land and work out methodologies to deter enroachments.

The matter relates to 13.75 acres of poromboke land in the village near a river. Though pattas were given by Tamil Nadu Refugees and Rehabilitation Department in 1971 for Burmese refugees to build homes,none occupied it as it was agriculture land and there was no infrastructure or transport.

Cattle were grazed there and a portion of it was used as a graveyard with no damage to the lands and the river.

Mahadeven alleged anti-socials had formed an association, encroached on lands with indirect support of the Government machinery and indiscriminately damaged the river bunds.

Earlier the Bench in an interim order had directed authorities concerned, including the Collector, to look into the issue to ensure that the land is allotted only to the allottees and not some third parties and to take up the exercise within two months and submit a report before it.