Fed up with govt inaction, locals of Keelacheri village take up tank renovation but stare at punitive action

However, now, they face the threat of violating the law as the district administration plans to take action against the village for renovating the tank on their own. Speaking to DT Next, former panchayat president of Keelacheri, Jesudoss, said that the villagers have been suffering a severe drought for the past four years due to failed monsoons and the almost total lack of maintenance of the village tank. “We have approached the district administration and PWD authorities on several occasions and have given dozens of petitions. But our village and its woes have never been their priority,” he said.

Fed up with this total neglect, Jesudoss and other villages pooled together private funds and collected up to Rs 10 lakh to begin renovation work in the tank. “We brought in earthmovers and dug out the silt and are in the process of rebuilding damaged portions of the bund. We hope to finish all work by July as the rain in Andhra Pradesh is likely to bring some inflow into the tank. We want to save every drop of water from this year and do not plan to wait for the government to act,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tiruvallur district officials claim that the villagers are not justified in taking up the activity on their own as there are legalities involved. “Firstly, the entire district is infamous for sand mining activities. We do not know what the villagers plan to do with the soil that is being dug out. If they sell it or use it for making profits, we will have to take action. Even otherwise, water bodies belong to the government, and even though the villagers’ efforts might be well-intentioned, they cannot do any desilting or renovation of PWD tanks on their own,” said a senior revenue official in Tiruvallur.

Tiruvallur Collector R Maheshwari told this newspaper that the district administration would take up the matter immediately. “We will find out what exactly is going on and help the villagers in every way we can. If the tank needs to be desilted, we will coordinate with the agencies concerned and take up the activity,” she said.