The Madras High Court today declined to accept a plea of State Revenue Secretary seeking eight years to implement a GPS system to enable generation of proper data and records of various government lands.
"Shorn of niceties, there appears to be reluctance to engage technology for a quicker resolution. The reasons to appear to be quiet obvious," the court said.
It observed that two years time was enough to complete the exercise and directed the Revenue Secretary to be present to assist the court in the matter. It then posted the matter for further hearing to November 10.
The matter relates to a PIL seeking a direction to authorities to constitute a Permanent Special Task Force with adequate powers and responsibilities to conduct periodical inspections, field surveys and removal of encroachments from all categories of vacant government lands situated within the revenue districts of Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur.
It also sought a direction to authorities to take appropriate action to ensure proper utilisation of each property including disposal of excess lands within a prescribed time limit.
When the matter came up earlier, the petitioner had suggested that a GPS will help in resolving the issue.
Today, it was brought to the court's knowledge by the petitioner that the central government has raised the funds for allocation to the state under the National Land Records Modernization Programme.
The State Revenue Secretary, who was present, also filed the affidavit in which he sought eight years for implementation of the scheme.
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