The Madras High Court has sought response from the Tamil Nadu Industries Secretary on a PIL seeking a direction to the state government not to take over agricultural land for setting up a paper factory at Mondipatti revenue village.
The village is located in Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's Srirangam constituency in Tiruchirappalli district.
Admitting the PIL, a division bench of Justices N Paul Vasanthakumar and P Devadoss sought the government's response on the plea filed by the 'Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam's (an agriculturists' body) Tiruchi district unit president M P Chinnathurai.
The secretary was directed to file his response within a week.
Jayalalithaa had announced in the state Assembly the establishment of a Rs 1,200 crore multi-layer double coated board manufacturing plant near Tiruchirapalli as part of the plans to expand activities of the state-owned Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Ltd (TNPL).
The petitioner submitted that 2,000 acres of waste and uncultivable land was available in Karichampatti village and near Maravanoor village.
Instead of choosing that, the government had been misled into selecting lands of Poduvarpatti, Poongudipatti,and Kottapatti in Mondipatti village where crops are cultivated.
Some 2,500 families were dependent on agriculture in this land. Agriculturists had objected to taking over of the land and staged protests also, the petitioner said.
They had no objection to government taking over waste land, he added.
The petitioner alleged that revenue officials were misusing their power by taking unilateral decision and suppressing fundamental rights of the farmers.
He also sought stay of all further proceedings of Tiruchirappalli district collector, Special RDO, and Tahsildhar for installing and taking over of agricultural lands for setting up the factory.
