Sharadha Narayanan | ENS Only seven of the total 13,702 tanks fenced; 4,695 yet to cross survery stage; 1,978 tenements on water bodies in Chennai alone FIVE years after the Madras High Court ordered that all encroachments to water bodies in the State be cleared, the Public Works Department (PWD) is yet to begin eviction work in one-third of the tanks in Tamil Nadu. Of the total 13,702 tanks under the control of the PWD, 4,695 are yet to cross the survey stage for encroachment. Last week, the Madras High Court had reiterated its 2005 order against encroachment on water bodies, while disposing of a public interest writ petition. In 2005, a Division Bench of the High Court ordered that encroachment on all water bodies in the State be cleared by May 2008. In a report submitted to the High Court relating to a PIL against encroachments, the Principal Secretary to the government, PWD, had sought extension of that deadline till May 2010. Five months after the revised deadline, eviction work has been completed in only 23.15 per cent of the tanks in the State, according to a senior PWD official. "Of the total 13,702 tanks in the State, eviction has been completed in 3,172 tanks alone. The process of eviction is on in 2,446 tanks, boundary stones are being erected in 3,119 tanks and fencing is being done in seven tanks," he said. In 2007, the Tamil Nadu Tank Protection and Eviction of Encroachment Act was passed to curb encroachment. In all, Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Tiruvannamalai districts have 1,633 tanks. Over 94 per cent of them are under encroachment. In Chennai, 1,978 tenements are encroaching upon tanks and are yet to be evicted.