CHENNAI: More than nine months after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) initiated a case over encroachments on the Kolathur lake in western Chennai, around 2,000 structures are yet to be removed from the site. This is now a VIP constituency, the local MLA being chief minister M K Stalin.
This is despite Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the state public works department (PWD) identifying the residents whose houses were built on the water body.
The NGT case was initiated after TOI’s report in October last year that pointed out that only 20% of the original area of the lake, which was around 26.37 acres, was now available as a water body.
Sources in GCC said they are trying to ensure that the available portion of the lake is maintained properly by using machinery such as robotic excavators. “However, the lake can be reclaimed only if the encroachments are removed. Moreover, the houses there let in untreated sewage into the lake, so the lake cannot be restored unless the encroachments are removed fully,” an official said.
Apart from houses, the encroaching structures also include places of worship, business establishments and drains built on what was originally a lake.
A PWD official said though encroaching structures have been identified, they can be razed down only after TN Slum clearance Board (TNSCB) provides an alternate housing solution for the residents who will be displaced. “But TNSCB houses are not available currently,” the official said.
The official also added that a Metrowater building and a part of the 200-feet road have been built on the lake. In fact, the Metrowater building is right in the middle of what was originally the lake.
GCC officials said with monsoon ahead, the severe encroachment can lead to major flooding as the lake is a natural drain for excess rainwater from the 200-feet road and the Retteri lake across the highway. Houses built on the lake means there is no place for the water to drain, and hence could lead to flooding in the nearby localities.
