Coming to the aid of members of an Adi Dravidar society, Madras High Court has directed Chennai district authorities to hand over 56 grounds of land acquired in Perambur to the society's members as planned 24 years ago.
Slamming the authorities for their move to scrap the housing plot scheme, the court said the land should be handed over to the beneficiaries within six weeks after accepting the society's contribution of Rs 24.5 lakh.
In case the society found it difficult to pay the money, the authorities must consider permitting it to pay the sum in instalments, Justice V Dhanapalan said passing orders on the petition by Desikanandapuram Adi Dravidar Cooperative House Site Society.
The Judge pulled up the District Collector for having recommended the scrapping of the scheme in October 2010 on the ground the society members were not in a position to pay Rs 24.5 lakh being their share as per the acquisition award.
The 56 ground (one ground is about 2,400 sq feet) land was acquired by the government through the Adi Dravida Welfare Department in June 1989, to benefit the 130-member society.
As per the award, the government was to bear the remaining sum to be paid to the land owners.
The landowners' counsel K Sakthivel argued that the members of the society were government employees and they could not be termed as poor. There was no public purpose in the impugned (acquisition) proceedings, he contended.
Justice Dhanapalan, rejecting the objection, said, "Once an acquisition is made and award is passed, no authority is empowered to withdraw the proceedings unless the government changes its policy."
Coming down on the District Collector's action recommending withdrawal of the acquisition proceedings, he said this was a clear case of the Executive not keeping its obligation in implementing the policies of the government.
The authorities act according to their whims and fancies and ulterior motive, and attempt to defeat the objective sought to be achieved.
