Kovilpatti, October 6 (Daily Kiran) : The Madras High Court‘s Madurai Bench has intervened in a case concerning illegal occupation of land allocated under a free housing scheme in Kovilpatti, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu. The court has directed the district collector to appear in person and provide comprehensive details regarding the matter.
During the proceedings, Justices Vellamurugan and Ramakrishnan raised serious concerns about the conduct of local officials. They emphasized that the land is intended for impoverished individuals who lack housing. The judges questioned why officials did not verify the current status of the land before issuing leases. “If leases are granted for occupied land, how can beneficiaries construct homes?” they asked.
The case stems from a petition filed by Amburaj, a resident of Iluppaiyurani in Thoothukudi. He reported that in 2002, free housing leases were issued to 280 individuals from backward classes, extremely backward classes, and marginalized communities in Kovilpatti. Many beneficiaries did not build homes on the land for nearly 20 years, leading to the cancellation of their leases. Subsequently, the district collector issued leases to 118 new beneficiaries. According to the rules, beneficiaries must construct a house within one year of receiving the land.
This year, 21 beneficiaries attempted to begin construction in January. However, the petition alleges that several individuals have illegally occupied the land, threatening beneficiaries and obstructing new construction. Despite complaints to the district collector and police, no action was taken. The petitioner warned that if homes are not built within a year, the new beneficiaries’ leases could also be revoked, prompting a request for the removal of illegal encroachments on government-allocated land.
During the hearing, government representatives claimed that the encroachments had already been removed. The judges, however, questioned how leases could be issued without proper verification. They rejected a request for additional time to file a counter-affidavit.
The bench ordered the Thoothukudi district collector to appear in court with all necessary documents to explain the situation. The next hearing is scheduled for Monday.
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