TENKASI: Traders from Courtallam on Monday petitioned District Collector S Gopala Sundararaj demanding him to take steps to conduct the auction for shops owned by the town panchayat administration.
The petitioners complained that the administration was not transparent about the auction proceedings.
"The officials announced that the auction would take place on March 23. However, it did not take place on that day. The next auction date has not been declared yet. We also hear that some officials are illegally helping the existing lessee to get hold of the shops once again for lower prices. In 2013, the officials had leased a car parking in Courtallam, which was leased for `50 lakh in the previous year, for just `25 lakh by getting kickbacks from a lessee. The Collector should not allow to repeat such an act this time," the traders told reporters.
In his petition, G Sankarasubramanian, a councillor of Tenkasi municipality, said, "The owners of commercial complexes on Swami Sannathi and Amman Sannathi streets got building approvals from the municipal administration only after they allocated the ground floors for parking facility, as mandated by the State government. However, after getting the approval, they did not respect the norms. They rented the parking lots on the ground floors to various shops. Because of this, the customers are forced to park their vehicles on streets creating traffic jams. Even the pedestrians do not have any space. The Collector should act against these violators."
Meanwhile, farmers led by district secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association MS Madasamy petitioned Sundararaj demanding permission for them to lift the stones that were extracted to dig farm wells. "Since the officials do not allow us to move these stones out of the farm field, the farming activities are affected," they claimed.
A group of people of Islamic faith submitted a petition with Sundararaj seeking permission to renovate the Tenkasi Bazaar Prayer Mosque. Hindu Munnani functionaries from Poigai petitioned the Collector against the alleged religious conversion being performed in their area.