TIRUPPUR: Lack of knowledge about laws on property and land registration process has made several land owners, especially farmers, fall prey to land sharks and money lenders. At least 20 petitions related to disputes between landowners and financiers are submitted in grievance redress meetings held in the Collectorate every week. A recent example is that of C Mahesh Kumar (40), a resident of Kangeyam.
Explaining his case, Mahesh Kumar told TNIE, "I owned 5.85 acres of farmland at Padiyur in Kangeyam. In 2013, an individual from Tiruppur city approached me and said he wished to buy the land. We struck a deal and he gave advance of Rs 2.5 lakh with a promise of buy the land in the next 30 days. But, he did not and the deal expired. I returned the advance and he promised to return my documents in a week, but did not. A year later, he approached me again and gave me Rs 2.5 lakh as advance and we signed a deal for Rs 2 crores. Again, the deal expired and he delayed to give the documents. Recently, he sent a legal notice stating he is the owner of the land."
P Govindasamy (71), a resident of Dharapuram, said he almost lost his property to financiers. Govindasamy's son-in-law Maheswaran told TNIE, "My father-in-law was running a coconut business. In order to expand his business, he got a loan from PSU bank for Rs 1 crore in 2015. But, he was unable to settle the loan due to financial losses. Following this, he requested help from a businessman from Kerala and we transferred the ownership of land (6 acres) to him for a few lakh rupees. After a period of time, the businessman did not get the loan or our property. But, he transferred the ownership of the land to another businessman without informing us and got money. Despite several attempts, he refused to help us. The new businessman who got bought the land from him has been threatening us to vacate. Later, after some mediation, they have decided to offer just a few lakh rupees for the property. But, we are unable to accept the deal as the 6-acre land is worth several crores."
An official in the district administration said, "Many of these cases are civil disputes involving two private individuals. These require settlement through the court."
Former Tiruppur District Public Prosecutor P Murugesan, said landowners should be given awareness of property laws and guidelines. "Though these are civil disputes, some complaints can be referred to the Superintendent of Police if they are land grabbing incidents. In such cases, a team under the DSP will investigate the issues. If it is related to real estate property, a complaint can be lodged under Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TNRERA) in Chennai. Besides, a suit can be filed in Madras High Court. But, most of the victims are not aware of the property laws and legal issues. Though they have several cents or acres, poor financial literacy is a fundamental problem in these cases."