Tamil Nadu: Officials demolish 10 illegal borewells

CHENNAI: Revenue officials seized and detained 20 water tankers which tried to flee with ground water tapped from farm wells in Pidarithangal village.
More than 10 illegal borewells installed in the farm wells were destroyed by the officials, using an earth mover. They also seized the power motors, cables and pipe connections used to draw the water. The officials swung into action after the Madras high court came down hard on them for reacting at a snail's pace to the complaints. The court asked the district administration to furnish the details of action initiated against the illegal water tapping in and around Poonamallee.
Earlier, residents of Parivakkam near Poonamallee had seized more than 40 water tankers and protested by blocking the road connecting Parivakkam-Thandarai as the tankers were carrying water drawn from the farm fields . Similar protests were also held at few other villages near Poonamallee.
The agitators claimed that they had given separate complaints at the municipal office in Poonamallee, but as it fell on deaf ears, the residents blocked the vehicles plying with the smuggled water from Paanavedu near Poonamallee, by keeping huge stones on the way, before gheraoing them.