Illegal fences in Bhavani Sagar water spread area identified

Ahead of submitting a status report before the Madras High Court that recently ordered removal of electric fences erected by farmers in the water spread area of Bhavani Sagar dam, the Forest Department in Coimbatore has assessed the length of fences to be removed.

As per the assessments, farmers were found to have erected fences to a length of over 20 km along both sides of the water spread area of the dam in Coimbatore district. Though the dam is situated in Erode district, water spread area of the reservoir stretches several kilometres through the Sirumugai forest range in Coimbatore.

According to the officers who are involved in the process, farmers have erected fences to a length of 10 km along Nilgiris eastern slope side and to a length of 11 km on the Mothur-Pethikuttai side of forests.

While the High Court order directs to remove any electric fence found in the water spread area, the fences erected by the farmers here also comprised of solar fencing and normal fencing.

According to the forest officials, farmers have been cultivating crops in the water spread area of the dam for several decades when water level recedes in summer. Though the water spread area of the dam is situated in Sirumugai forest range in Coimbatore and parts of Erode forest division, the areas falling in the full reservoir level (FRL) of the dam are under the control of Public Works Department. Farmers engage in cultivation in the FRL area when water level recedes in the summer.

Writ petition

T. Murugavel of Chennai in his writ petition had sought for the removal of encroachments by farmers, terming it as illegal. The court ordered the Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, and the District Forest Officer, Coimbatore, to inspect the water spread area of the dam in Erode and Coimbatore and file a status report on Mr. Murugavel’s averments on June 20.

D. Venkatesh, District Forest Officer of Coimbatore Forest Division, said the status report to be submitted before the court will be prepared after joint meetings of all the respondents in the writ.

Sources in Sirumugai said that farmers who had erected fences are likely to move court seeking a stay on the order.