131. Prohibition against obstructions in or over public roads, etc.
(1)No person shall, except as permitted by Rules made under this Act and except in accordance with the conditions imposed by any licence made requisite by such Rules -(a)build any wall or erect any fence or other obstruction or projection or make any encroachment whatsoever, whether permanent or temporary, [in or over any public road or any property vested in or belonging to or regulated or owned by, a Village Panchayat or Panchayat Union Council] [Substituted for the words 'in or over any public road' by Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Third Amendment) Act, 1999 (Tamil Nadu Act 29 of 1999).];(b)make any hole or deposit any matter [in or upon any public road or any property vested in or belonging to or regulated or owned by, a Village Panchayat or Panchayat Union Council] [Substituted for the words 'in or over any public road' by Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Third Amendment) Act, 1999 (Tamil Nadu Act 29 of 1999).];(c)work a quarry in or remove stone, earth or other material from any place within twenty metres of a public road or of other immovable property vesting in or belonging to a Village Panchayat or Panchayat Union Council, provided that nothing in this clause shall be deemed to apply to any work which, in the opinion of the Inspector, is done in connection with a bona fide agricultural operation;(d)erect any building over any drain or any part thereof;(e)plant any tree on any public road or other property vesting in or belonging to a Village Panchayat or a Panchayat Union Council; or(f)fell, remove, destroy, lop or strip bark, leaves, or fruits from, or otherwise damage, any tree which is growing on any such public road or other property or on any poramboke land, the use of which is regulated by a Village Panchayat under section 134 or section 135 and the right to which has not been established by such person as vesting in or belonging to him.(2)It shall be the duty of the Village Administrative Officer of every revenue village to report on encroachments on properties vested in Village Panchayats or Panchayat Union Councils to the Executive Authority or the Commissioner concerned and to the officer of the Revenue Department, and [it shall be the duty of the Executive Authority or the Commissioner concerned either suo motu or on obtaining a report from the Village Administrative Officer in this regard to institute proceedings under this Act] [Substituted for the words 'it shall be the duty of the Executive Authority or the Commissioner concerned to institute proceedings under this Act' by Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Third Amendment) Act, 1999 (Tamil Nadu Act 29 of 1999).] and secure the removal of the encroachments within such time as may be specified by the Government by general or special order. If the removal of the encroachments has not been secured within the period specified in such order, the officers of the Revenue Department shall institute proceedings under the Tamil Nadu Land Encroachment Act, 1905 (Tamil Nadu Act III of 1905 and secure such removal.
