The Madras High Court has directed the State government to prepare a chart giving timeline by which issues such as removing encroachments and dredging of tanks in Kumbakonam will be carried out.
The First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice M.M. Sundresh passed the directions on a PIL moved by ‘Elephant’ K. Rajendran seeking to clean up the town by removing encroachments and illegal construction in view of Mahamaham festival.
When the PIL came up for hearing, the Bench said: “The Mahamaham festival is over, but that is not the end of the problem. The tanks have to be cleared, encroachments removed, and buildings constructed in violation of the rules have to be dealt with. The conversion of the residential buildings into commercial ones and construction of multi-storied buildings require action and the town, has to be set right.”
The Bench directed the authorities concerned to prepare a chart dealing with all these aspects and as to what has been done and what are the violations yet remaining and what is proposed to be done.
“The chart must be filed within four weeks with an advance copy to the counsel for the petitioner,” the Bench said, and posted the matter to June 8 for further hearing.
