THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a crucial verdict in connection with the Pattoor land scam case, a special court of Lokayukta on Tuesday ordered the state government to take over the 4.36 cents where the apartment owned by Artech realtors is situated. The order was following a finding that the apartment building was built on the public land.
The interim order was pronounced by a division bench which included Lokayukta justice Pius C Kuriakose and Upalokayuktha Justice K P Balachandran. Earlier, 12.279 cents of the land of the builder were taken over by the Lokayukta. With the latest order, the court has asked the government to take over a total of 16.35 cents from the custody of the private builder.
A portion of the building situated on the eastern side of Amayizhanchan canal is likely to be demolished once this order is implemented. The court also ordered to take over 1.06 cents of land which were encroached by some private residents close to the apartment. The government has been asked to take over the western side of the apartment. The judges said the order was meant for the welfare of society. The order has been sent to the District Collector and Revenue Chief Additional Secretary following the High Court order. However, the builder said that they would approach the High Court to challenge the order. In February, the High Court had quashed the case registered by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau and its further proceedings against former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, former Chief Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan and three others in connection with the case.