The Kerala High Court today ordered draining out of water from a check dam built on a property of an MLA's relative, located in an ecologically sensitive region of Malappuram district.
The check dam was built at Cheenkannipara, where the father-in-law of Nilambur MLA P V Anwar owns the property.
A high court bench, headed by Acting Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy ordered the Malappuram district collector to take appropriate measures to drain out the water stored in the check dam while ensuring that the evacuation does not affect the people living in the area.
The court gave the order on a plea by Kerala native Vinod seeking a directive to demolish the check dam to ensure safety of people living downstream.
The petitioner had alleged that the check dam was built without requisite permissions from relevant agencies and it would cause disasters like floods and landslides, if it burst during the monsoon season.
The court gave district administration two weeks to complete the task under the supervision of an expert committee constituted by the district collector.
Earlier, the Disaster Management Authority of the Malappuram district too had ordered demolition of the 'illegally built' check dam allegedly using concrete and stones in 2015.