PUDUCHERRY: A dispute over the Puducherry government's failure to clear dues owed to two private travel companies, in 2019, escalated after court amins arrived at the Chief Secretariat to seize properties in a bid to settle the unpaid amount, on Tuesday.
Ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections, private travel company vehicles were enlisted for election-related activities. The travel companies claimed that the government availed of their services, but have not paid them in full. The travel companies billed a sum of Rs 1.28 crore, but the government paid Rs 77 lakh on the basis of usage. In response, the travel companies moved to court, where the government pleader failed to appear. An order was issued to settle the rent arrears, but the government failed to deliver.
The situation escalated when the court authorised the confiscation of items belonging to the chief secretariat, election department, and collector's office in a bid to recover the outstanding dues. Before anything could be confiscated, however, the government sought time to file a review petition. No petition has been filed yet.
In light of this, the travel company owners have once again turned to the courts for relief, following which, the Third Additional District Judge M Elavarasan issued an order for the seizure of machines and vehicles, along with tables, chairs, and AC units from the three department offices.
Thus, court Amins were dispatched to the chief secretariat. They engaged in discussions with the officials on-site and conveyed the details of the order. In response, Chief Secretary Rajiv Verma consulted Law Secretary Senthilkumar and other high-ranking officers. After deliberations, the government has sought time and has decided to move court on Thursday.