Section 18(1) in Tamil Nadu Groundwater (Development and Management) Act, 2003
(1)For carrying out the purposes of this Act, the Authority or any person authorised by it in writing in this behalf, shall have the following powers, namely: -(a)to enter upon any property belonging to an individual or the Government, as the case may be, for investigation or collection of data pertaining to the land or water;(b)to inspect any well which is sunk or being sunk and the soil, groundwater or other materials, excavated therefrom;(c)to take specimen of such soil, groundwater or other materials;(d)to require in writing any person sinking a well to preserve in the prescribed manner, specimens of soil, groundwater or any material excavated therefrom for a period not exceeding one month from the date of completion or abandonment of the work;(e)to inspect and take copies of the relevant records or documents and seek any information pertaining to the well as may be required;(f)to serve or cause to be served a notice requiring any person using groundwater to furnish such information as required in such form, at such intervals and with such particulars, as may be prescribed;(g)to require in writing any person using groundwater to install measuring devices on any groundwater supplies;(h)to seize and take possession of any equipment utilised for unauthorised sinking;(i)to require in writing any person using groundwater who does not comply with the provisions of this Act to cease to extract groundwater or dismantle any hydraulic structure found to be unauthorised or direct the authority concerned to enforce the provision of section 16;(j)to enter and search at all reasonable times with such assistance, if any, as it considers necessary, any premises in which it has reason to believe that an offence under this Act has been or is being committed and order in writing to the person who has committed or who is committing the offence not to extract or use the groundwater without obtaining a permit.
