CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has permitted the Tamil Nadu government to construct ponds for rainwater harvesting and establish an eco-park on the land recovered from the Madras Race Club in Guindy.
The State government had cancelled the lease granted to the Race Club for the land in Guindy and has been initiating steps to implement a project on the reclaimed 118-acre land. The project includes developing an eco-park for public use by the Horticulture Department and constructing four ponds for rainwater harvesting by the Chennai Corporation.
Opposing the implementation of these projects and challenging the cancellation of the land lease by the government, the Race Club administration filed a case before the Madras High Court.
When the case came up for hearing, a single judge had earlier ordered that the present status of the land should be maintained. Hearing the appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu Government challenging the single judge's interim order, a division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice Mohammed Shaffiq observed that four ponds had already been constructed at the Guindy Race Club area as a flood mitigation measure. The bench therefore granted permission to establish ponds for rainwater harvesting and to develop an eco-park on the recovered land.
Pointing to the damage to life and property caused by the 2015 floods and other rain-induced floods in Chennai in the past, the judges noted that such public welfare projects are necessary.
The judges further observed that the government's initiative would help maintain ecological balance and reduce air pollution, adding that air pollution is not merely an environmental issue but also a public health concern.
Stating that land is scarce in metropolitan cities like Chennai, the judges said that allowing specific individuals to use government land for their own private purposes would undermine public trust. Accordingly, the division bench set aside the single judge's earlier order and issued the above directions.