MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday issued notice to the state on a PIL filed against the Mullur Satellite Township project of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in Pudukkottai district.
S Nirojan, who identified himself as a social activist from Pudukkottai, alleged that no steps have been taken to convert the parcel of land chosen for the project into a residential or commercial plot despite it being classified as a wetland in revenue records.
Though the project land measures around 100 acres, there is no public record to show that environmental clearance has been obtained from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). Another matter of concern is that the land directly connects to NH-36, which links Pudukkottai with Thanjavur. As per norms, such access requires a service road and a no objection certificate (NOC) from NHAI, but no such NOC is on record, he further alleged.
Even though plot reservation for SC/ST communities, government employees, ex-servicemen, persons with disabilities, etc, are mandatory, there is no reservation chart made public, and the entire allotment process lacks the transparency expected from a public housing scheme, Nirojan added. Further, he said the land was under the jurisdiction of Mullur panchayat at the time of approval of the project but the local body was subsequently merged with the Pudukkottai corporation. The approvals, layout sanctions, etc, are available only as per panchayat records and no steps have been taken for ratification or revalidation based on the new jurisdiction, he alleged. A large waterbody also exists within the layout boundary and there is no buffer zone as mandated, he added.
Citing these, Nirojan requested the court to restrain the authorities from proceeding with plot allotment and revalidate the land as per urban planning laws.