CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has summoned Cuddalore collector and two other government officers after the state and the municipality passed the buck over clearing encroachments from government land. The officials were asked to appear while hearing a case against encroachment of land allegedly belonging to the Government General Hospital at Chidambaram in Cuddalore district.
The state informed the court that there are 56 encroachments and the report on encroachments was sent to the municipality for necessary action as the land falls under the municipality’s control. It also submitted that the encroachers have been paying tax to the municipality.
However, the municipality contended that the said the encroachments were only on government land not under its control, and the state government has to take action. In view of this dispute over the control on the land, the court summoned the top officials.
Apart from the collector, the chief medical officer of the hospital and the commissioner of the Chidambaram municipality have been directed to appear physically in the court on November 18 along with records on the land. The directions were issued on a petition filed by K Subramanian, a resident of Pallipadai in Chidambaram.