Lack of coordination between Govt. depts. puts official in a spot

By Our Staff Reporter

PONDICHERRY, MAY 2. Lack of coordination between the Revenue Department and the Pondicherry Housing Board, a statutory body here has caused embarrassment to an official who has constructed a house in Saram village on a site allotted to him by the Board through a public auction.

Mr. C. Anandane, Executive Engineer of the PWD purchased the site from the Housing Board on July 1, 1988.

He also got an advance from the department and after approval by the Town Planning authorities he constructed the house.

The Revenue department way back in 1986 issued a notification for acquisition of part of the site for laying a link road from Kamaraj Salai to the 45 feet road.

It appears the Housing Board had not been apprised of this acquisition plan and the Board went ahead with lay out for housing sites and sold by registered document to Mr. Anandane the site on which he had raised his residential building.

Mr. Anandane told newspersons on Tuesday that the site selection committee comprising the Chief Town Planner, Chief Engineer of the PWD among others approved the plan and told him to go ahead with the construction.

But all of a sudden on the night of Monday a team equipped with bulldozers had come to demolish the house.No prior notice was given to him and no opportunity was given to him to present his case.

Luckily a public meeting in which Union Ministers spoke around that time had forced the team to go back without executing their task.

Mr. Anandane said he had immediately taken up the matter with the Chief Secretary, Additional District Magistrate and the deputy Collector.

He said these officials had apparently accepted that there were certain discrepancies but the fear of demolition still loomed large before him as no preventive step had been initiated by any of the officials (demolition as such has not taken place as yet).

As the courts are closed for summer vacation finding a legal remedy is also a problem for Mr. Anandane.

In the sale deed of the site executed by the Housing Board it has been stated that the said land is free from encumbrances or charge of any kind whatsoever and that the layout has been approved by the Pondicherry Planning Authority in 1982.

Mr. R. Damodaran General Secretary of the Federation of Associations of Residential Colonies in Pondicherry objected to the attempt of the Revenue department to demolish the house.

There could be some public purpose for which the land might be needed. But as natural justice demanded the concerned person should have been served notice.

Mr. Damodaran said that though no demolition as such had occurred now the very attempt at it was not proper.

He said there was still an alternative site available to lay the link road.

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Section  : Southern States
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