THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when sparks are flying over a TRIDA move to take over land belonging to the Government Central High School at Attakulangara for constructing a bus bay and shopping complex, documents show that this is one controversy that owes its origins to serious lapses on the part of government officials.
The Thiruvananthapuram Development Authority (TRIDA) began eyeing the school’s land after a prime property near Pazhavangadi originally identified for resettling traders evicted for the Thakarapparambu flyover project was practically gifted to a private retail major.
Documents accessed by ‘Express’ show that in August 2008 itself, then Revenue Principal Secretary Nivedita P Haran had ordered recovery of this land for the rehabilitation scheme. Also recommended was ‘’immediate and strong action’’ against officials of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, TRIDA and Revenue Department who allowed the retail chain’s building to be constructed illegally.
Six years down the line, the retail major is still there and a fresh controversy has erupted over the plans to rehabilitate the traders on government school land.
It all began in November, 2004, with the State Government giving administrative sanction to TRIDA for acquiring 45 cents of land for rehabilitating 56 traders displaced for the LMS-Attakulangara road widening and flyover construction projects. The private firm opposed the acquisition saying that it had purchased the said land and was unaware of the acquisition plans. It also argued that the multi-storeyed building was constructed with the Corporation’s permission.
At the time, TRIDA said that it had identified the land for acquisition as early as January 2004 itself. The 4(1) notification for land acquisition was issued in March 2005.
But the Revenue Department found that the private firm had constructed the building after the land acquisition notification was published.
‘’This could have happened only with the connivance on the part of the officials/authorities concerned which calls for a Vigilance enquiry. The Corporation has allowed construction permit for a building on land notified for acquisition even after the acquisition details were specifically brought to its notice,’’ the Revenue principal secretary said in her August 2008 order.
‘’The irresponsibility shown by the officials of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and TRIDA in giving building permission is undeniable and hence strong and suitable action against the officials concerned is essential. It is essential not only for the sake of this case but also to ensure such illegal constructions in blatant violation of Government rules are not allowed in future,’’ the order noted. A subsequent investigation by the Deputy Collector (Vigilance), South Zone, had revealed that the mutation (Pokkuvaravu) for transferring the land to the private firm also was done without any recordical evidence.
In May 2013, the government had issued orders allowing TRIDA to take over two acres for building a bus bay and commercial complex on the campus of the Government Central High School, Attakulangara.