The construction of a 120-foot road across two water bodies on East Coast Road (ECR) in Thiruvidanthai, near Thiruporur, has been stayed by the Madras high court to allow access to a 160-acre township developed by a private construction company. In response to a petition filed by G Raja, a resident, a division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice T V Thamilselvi issued the interim order. According to the petitioner, water from Thiruvali Kuttai and Ambal Eari is used to irrigate over 43.6 acres of land. Many agricultural lands in the area have been converted to residential plots and sold to private individuals, including reality television production companies, over the years, he said. To gain access to their land, one private realty company attempted to build a road in the middle of the two lakes. The attempt was abandoned, however, since the villages were opposed to the move. Following that, on July 20, 2020, the company attempted to lay a road once more and began damaging the tanks with earthmovers. When the issue was brought before the district collector, the villager was shocked to learn that a government order had been passed granting permission to widen a 60-foot road based on the recommendations of the director of town planning and member secretary of the Mamallapuram local planning authority, according to the petitioner. The petitioner cites that the government order is illegal and was issued for reasons unrelated to the fact that water bodies are being alienated for commercial purposes. The jurisdictional revenue divisional officer asked the tahsildar of Thiruporur to take action against the alienation of water sources after receiving a complaint. However, he claims that no action has been taken to date. The petitioner also claimed that, despite the fact that the private firm has access to three existing roads, they want a road across the lakes for commercial purposes. As a result, the petitioner asked the court to intervene and overturn the government order authorising the road construction. Image Source Also read: Parliament panel asks MoRTH to simplify land acquisition process