CHENNAI : In a controversial move, the Union government is attempting to take over the prime property of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) in Chennai to set up its own offices. Originally, the land belonged to the Tamil Nadu government and was allotted to the AWBI in 1991, with the condition that it should not be used for any other purpose than board’s activities.
The AWBI was set up under Section IV of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Since its inception in 1962, the AWBI S P Gupta has operated from Chennai until February this year, when it was decided to shift its operation to Faridabad in Haryana.Now, its sprawling Chennai office measuring 1,400 sq m (15,069 sq ft) located in the posh Third Seaward Road at Valmiki Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur has become vacant and attempts are being made to open it to house Central government offices.
S Gowri Shankar , Deputy Secretary to the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, has written to AWBI Chairman S P Gupta, saying a proposal to set up a regional office of the AWBI in its building in Chennai with a skeleton staff of four to five officials to look after inspections of the southern states has been approved. In the letter, Shankar has also told the AWBI chairman to make available the rest of the space for setting up other offices of the ministry. “In this connection, you (chairman) are requested to take necessary action under intimation and approval of this ministry,” Shankar said in the letter, a copy of which is available with Express.
However, the property belongs to the Tamil Nadu government, which had allotted the land to the AWBI in 1991 with the condition that it should be utilised only by the AWBI. A government order was issued by the Revenue Department on February 1, 1991, according to which the government had examined the proposal under Section 24 of the Tamil Nadu Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Rules, 1978, and allotted the land on collection of single market value.
The State government has also imposed seven conditions, of which the second one says, “The AWBI should utilise the land for purpose specified with a period of one year from the date of taking possession of the land. The land shall not be utilised for any purpose other than the said purpose,” the GO read. Another condition is that the land allotted cannot be transferred by way of sale, gift, mortgage, lease or otherwise to any person or institution.
The order also said that in the event of the AWBI not complying with any of the conditions, the State government shall cancel the allotment and the land shall be revested to the government free from all encumbrances. “No compensation shall be payable in respect of any building or other superstructure constructed on such lands, revesting to the government under this clause,” the order said. When contacted, Gupta told Express that the AWBI building in Chennai will be used to set up the Union Environment Ministry’s offices that are related to animal welfare.
“Firstly, a regional office of the AWBI and a training centre for officers of southern states will be accommodated and the rest of the space will be used for animal welfare-related centres of the ministry. We will not be giving the space for offices of other ministries,” he said, claiming that there is no violation of the 1991 Tamil Nadu government order. The AWBI chairman said the land was given by the Tamil Nadu government and the building constructed by the AWBI.