SALEM: The staff of the Salem district court confiscated properties from the revenue department office located inside the collectorate on Thursday as the department failed to provide compensation to 17 residents of Amani Kondalampatti village whose lands were acquired 22 years ago for a railway gauge conversion project.
According to sources, 17 people of Amani Kondalampatti village in Panamarathupatti block in the district gave up six acres of land for the Salem-Karur broad gauge conversion work in 2002. The district administration has yet to provide compensation to them. The aggrieved landowners approached II Additional District Session Court, seeking directions to the district administration to provide compensation.
After hearing the petition, the court ordered the district administration to provide compensation as per the 2002 market value. However, the district administration delayed the compensation. Subsequently, the court ordered the confiscating the office properties of the revenue department. On Thursday, court staff confiscated more than 20 almirahs, chairs, fans, desks and ACs. They plan to auction them.
Karumalai, a land owner. Broke down as he narrated his ordeal and said officials should take steps to issue the compensation at the earliest. According to him, the 17 landowners have to get a minimum of Rs 2 lakh to ma aximum of Rs 49 lakh. “We are running pillar to post to stay in a decent house as we gave up ancestral property for the railway development work. We do not have money to give proper education to our children,” said Karumalai.