Locals fume as sand is filched from Madambakkam lake bed
Contractors Take It Away Under Guise Of Desilting
Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com
Chennai:14.10.2018
The residents of Madambakkam near Tambaram are angry that the lake in the quiet neighbourhood is being gradually throttled.
Several contractors, under the guise of desilting the water body, are digging up more than the allowed quantity of sand, they say.
“We complained to the various authorities but there was no response,” said N Krishnan, a member of the Save Madambakkam Lake Committee.
Seeking an inspection by the collector of Kancheepuram district, the residents said they would soon file a petition in the court if action was not taken by the officials concerned.
As per a September 26 letter from the Kancheepuram collector, a copy of which is with TOI, contractors permitted to carry out desilting are only allowed to remove it from elevated places that have been illegally occupied and are creating obstructions. An area of approximately 7.7 acres has been earmarked for desilting up to a depth of 0.92m or 3.01feet. “But they are digging up to a depth of 6 feet and have created huge craters,” said Krishnan.
A large quantity of sand had been removed from flat ground within the lake over the last few days, he said. “We raised our protest and even complained to the collector who visited the spot. The work was stopped and inspections were carried out.”
The irrigation area of the lake, one of the largest in East Tambaram, had shrunk to a mere 35% over the last few decades owing to ‘development’ work, say residents.
When contacted, a few officials said the government was implementing a water project by laying pipelines over a distance of 8km at an estimated ₹3crore to supply 18 lakh litres of water to residents of Chitlapakkam town panchayat with a population of nearly 50,000. About 2 lakh litres would be supplied to Madambakkam town panchayat. Nearly five open wells and a storage tank are being constructed. Residents allege that the lake sketch used is incorrect as the pipelines and wells are being set up on the lake bed which is a violation.
The collector of Kancheepuram was unavailable for comment.
FULL-ON LOOT: Earthmovers at work on the lake bed
Contractors Take It Away Under Guise Of Desilting
Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com
Chennai:14.10.2018
The residents of Madambakkam near Tambaram are angry that the lake in the quiet neighbourhood is being gradually throttled.
Several contractors, under the guise of desilting the water body, are digging up more than the allowed quantity of sand, they say.
“We complained to the various authorities but there was no response,” said N Krishnan, a member of the Save Madambakkam Lake Committee.
Seeking an inspection by the collector of Kancheepuram district, the residents said they would soon file a petition in the court if action was not taken by the officials concerned.
As per a September 26 letter from the Kancheepuram collector, a copy of which is with TOI, contractors permitted to carry out desilting are only allowed to remove it from elevated places that have been illegally occupied and are creating obstructions. An area of approximately 7.7 acres has been earmarked for desilting up to a depth of 0.92m or 3.01feet. “But they are digging up to a depth of 6 feet and have created huge craters,” said Krishnan.
A large quantity of sand had been removed from flat ground within the lake over the last few days, he said. “We raised our protest and even complained to the collector who visited the spot. The work was stopped and inspections were carried out.”
The irrigation area of the lake, one of the largest in East Tambaram, had shrunk to a mere 35% over the last few decades owing to ‘development’ work, say residents.
When contacted, a few officials said the government was implementing a water project by laying pipelines over a distance of 8km at an estimated ₹3crore to supply 18 lakh litres of water to residents of Chitlapakkam town panchayat with a population of nearly 50,000. About 2 lakh litres would be supplied to Madambakkam town panchayat. Nearly five open wells and a storage tank are being constructed. Residents allege that the lake sketch used is incorrect as the pipelines and wells are being set up on the lake bed which is a violation.
The collector of Kancheepuram was unavailable for comment.
FULL-ON LOOT: Earthmovers at work on the lake bed
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