Puducherry govt urged to establish state wetlands authority

PUDUCHERRY: A water users' forum has urged the Puducherry lieutenant governor to implement an order passed by the Supreme Court to form a state wetlands authority.

The SC directed the states and Union territories to survey waterbodies to demarcate and protect them by removing any encroachments. Encroachers should be allocated alternate sites, the SC ruled in 2017.

Bangaaru Vaickal Neeraadhara Koottamaippu president V Chandrasekhar regretted that several states and UTs, including Puducherry, have not implemented the order.

On Dec 11, acting on public interest litigation, the Supreme Court issued orders to all the states and the UTs to complete the long-pending works within three months.

Chandrasekhar urged the lieutenant governor and officials concerned, including the chief secretary, secretary (forest and wildlife) and deputy conservator of forests, to take prompt action on a priority basis. He emphasised the need to start eviction of encroachments from all the 84 irrigation tanks and wetlands in the territory.


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