CHENNAI: Illegal construction on 50 cents of government poramboke land worth more than Rs 11 crore in Iyyappanthangal, that have been encroached upon by land grabbers, has been completed as officials have turned a blind eye towards the entire issue. After Express exposed the illegal construction being carried out in government poramboke land, a top revenue department official sought a report from the officials.
When Express contacted the Kundrathur tahsildar, she initially said she didn’t know about the issue, but later said they were in the process of filing a report with the District Collector. However, when pressed further, she refused to give further details. Advocate Abdul Razzak, who took up the case challenging constructions on government land under writ petition 12587 of 2020, says he was forced to withdraw from the case. The petition was later withdrawn on March 19, 2021.
However, panchayat secretary G Isaac said he was unaware that the case was withdrawn. “We had filed a counter in the case,” he said. When Express pointed out that the case had been withdrawn, he said that he will inform the Block Development Officer. He later claimed the files were in the Block Development Officer’s room. He added that only the land commissioner could give a proper reply and that the revenue department officials have assigned a patta to the land.
Survey Number 38 at Iyyappanthangal was illegally subdivided into plots and sold to some private parties, who have finished construction. This despite a resolution being passed by the Iyyappanthangal Village Panchayat for using the land for public convenience. Sources said the 50 cents of land was originally earmarked by the Executive Officer of Iyyappanthangal Village panchayat for construction of a water tank, public convenience and a library.
When Express checked government records, the land has been defined as Meykal Promboke and the title deed is not an assigned-patta issued under the Tamil Nadu Land Reforms (Disposal of Surplus Land) Rules 1965. The procedure to be followed for granting patta has not been followed. Residents claimed that despite their repeated requests to use the land for public purpose, the officials failed to do so. “In June 2019, some private parties fenced the entire land and started dividing it by fixing survey stones and laying temporary roads. When the officials were alerted, they failed to act,” residents claimed.
A top revenue official told Express that the issue has been flagged for the Kancheepuram Collector to initiate action. Also, when Express checked the ‘Tamil Nilam’ land records website of the TN government, the survey number was found to be a government land. An official said that government land can’t change hands. “It is a case of cheating if the land had indeed been given to private players and appropriate action will be taken,” he said.