D. Murugesan, J.

The petitioner in W.P.No.3536 of 2005 is the former Chairman and the petitioner in W.P.No.943 of 2006 is the present Chairman of Bodinaickkanur Municipality. They have approached this Court with the above writ petitions as pro bono publico seeking for a direction forbearing the respondents from granting the pattas in respect of the lands in Survey Nos.1079/1B, 1110/2, 1113/1B, 1185/1B, 1195, 1197, 1186 and in Survey Nos.1079, 1185, 1186, 1195, 1197 in Kottagudi village, Bodinayakkanoor Taluk, Theni District acquired under Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Act, 1961 to any person.

2. The writ petitions have been filed basically with the following averments Bodinaickkanur is a municipal town in Theni District and there are about one lakh people residing within the limits of Bodinaickkanur Municipality. The source of drinking water for the Bodinaickkanur town is Kottagudi river situate in the hills of top station panchayat 6000 feet above the Western Ghat in the border of Kerala State. The catchment area is the vast extent of forest land. The water gathered in Kottagudi river is stored at Kurangini and channelised through the pipeline for