The petitioner has come up with this Writ Petition seeking a direction to the respondents to forbear from converting, closing, destroying or tampering with the Odai in Survey No. 318/1, Nambarai Village, Arcot Taluk, Vellore District.

2. According to the petitioners, they are residents of a Village, viz. Nambarai in Arcot Taluk and they are the Ayacutdars of a lake known as "Nambarai Lake", which receives water from three different channels. The grievance of the petitioners is that the respondents are seeking to convert one of those channels into a road, thereby threatening the agricultural operations in the lands of an extent of about 144 acres owned by about 50 agricultural families in Nambarai Village, which entirely depend upon the water in Nambarai lake. It is their further case that originally the Odai was very wide, but due to several encroachments, the width of the Odai has narrowed down in course of time.

3. It is further stated that the respondents cut and removed trees standing on the banks of the Odai, from 23.06.2004 to 28.06.2004 at the instance of a private party and attempted to convert the Odai into a road. The Villagers agitated against such action and it was