Madras HC notice on delay in construction of check dam across Vaigai

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday sought a reply from the State government on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the construction of a check dam across Vaigai river between Thenur and Kodimangalam villages.

The litigant, A Antonydoss, submitted that the Paravai irrigation tank, which is one of the biggest in Madurai, receives water mainly from the Vaigai river. "The secondary source is the surplus flow from waterbodies located in the upper region of the tank. But the water channel connecting the Vaigai river and Paravai tank was extensively damaged during the massive flood in 1979 and thereafter the water channel was completely neglected," he alleged.

Though the authorities while inspecting the tank in 2020 had assured that steps would be taken to clear seemai karuvelam in it, restore the water channel and construct a check dam across the Vaigai, no action has been taken till now, he added.

A Bench comprising Justices R Mahadevan and J Sathya Narayana Prasad directed the government counsel to get instructions from the authorities concerned and adjourned the case for two weeks.