The Mambalam taluk office seems to have created land out of water. At least that is what documents sourced from the Tamil Nadu government’s website show.On the banks of Adyar river in Jaffarkhanpet, around 1,750 sq m of land has been given patta in a survey number that does not exist in the government’s records.
Four patta documents show the document has been issued in survey number 187 of block 133 (Thiruvalluvar Street) in Kodambakkam by the Mambalam taluk office. Buildings have been constructed in all these land parcels, as per documents.
According to government’s area drawing for the Guindy area, in block 133 the last survey number is 186, of the Adyar river. Field visits show the patta is likely to have been given on land which has been reclaimed from the Adyar river. Illegal structures were built on the river bed.
While other patta documents in the taluk office had a digital signature of the tahsildar these four documents had the signature of the zonal deputy tahsildar. One patta has been given in May 201, one in August 2018 and two in March 2017.
When contacted, the Mambalam tahsildar said he would look into the issue. This comes at a time when the state government’s agencies including Public Works Department (PWD) and the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) are on an overdrive to remove encroachments from river beds.
Civic activist V Gopalakrishnan said this is a worrying trend as apart from the encroachment of government land, this also posed a risk to residents living on the river banks as was witnessed during the 2015 floods.
To resolve such cases, Gopalakrishnan said the land record documents should indicate particulars of previous land use pattern.
“The government is already giving us similar details when we apply for the encumbrance certificate. Similarly name change and patta change, especially in case of water bodies converted into land should be provided,” he said.
