Summary:
Fifty cents of government poramboke land worth more than 11 crore in Ayyapanthangal has been encroached upon by land grabbers with the alleged help of local officials.
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Fifty cents of government poramboke land worth more than 11 crore in Ayyapanthangal has been encroached upon by land grabbers with the alleged help of local officials.
It is learnt that the poramboke land in Survey Number 38 in Ayyappanthangal was illegally subdivided into plots and were sold to some private parties who started constructions there.
This is despite a resolution passed by Ayyappanthangal village panchayat for using the land for public convenience, especially for 200 Adi Dravidar families residing in the locality.
Sources said the land was originally earmarked by the executive officer of Ayyapanthangal village panchayat for the construction of a water tank, public convenience, and a library.
Residents claimed that despite their repeated requests to use the land for public purposes, the officials failed to do so.
In June 2019, some private parties fenced the entire land and started dividing it by fixing survey stones and laying temporary roads.
When the residents alerted the officials, the latter allegedly failed to act.
It was later found that with the connivance of officials, the land grabbers had fabricated documents to obtain pattas.
A database of government lands, the survey number was found to be government land.