Bridge on ‘odai poromboke’ land opposed

Residents and environmentalists have raised concern over an order by collector T N Hariharan to construct an approach bridge on odai poromboke land near Kalapatti. They say it violates previous high court and government orders. The land near Eraa Mohan Nagar at Kalapatti, as per revenue documents and the order of the collector, is an odai poromboke (land earmarked near a stream) on which construction cannot be permitted. The collector’s order dated April 12, 2018 to the PWD departments’ chief engineer states that an approach bridge at a cost of Rs 25 lakhs can be constructed. Local residents and farmers opposed the project and submitted petitions to the collector. RTI activist S P Thiyagarajan said that in 2016 the high court had passed an order ordering the collector to stop all construction on waterways.