The Madras High Court bench here on Tuesday ordered notice to the Madurai district collector, the Madurai corporation commissioner, the chairman of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB), the tahsildar of Madurai south taluk and a ward councillor from the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on a public interest litigation seeking the removal of encroachments from the Government Labour Colony in Bykara.
TNHB lank encroached
The petitioner, S. Mayandi, a resident of the labour colony, claimed in his petition that D. Chinna Murugan, AIADMK councillor of ward number 100, had constructed a number of shops in the vacant areas belonging to theTamil Nadu Housing Board at the labour colony. Mr. Murugan let the shops out on lease, he alleged.
Water tank demolished
In addition, Mr. Murugan demolished a water tank that was used by the people living in the labour colony for more than four decades and taken the construction materials, the petitioner claimed.
According to Mr. Mayandi, the members of the Bykara Government Labourers Colony Welfare Association submitted a representation to the corporation commissioner on August 20, 2013 seeking the removal of the encroachments made by the councillor in the colony.
The corporation commissioner has failed to take any action to date, the petitioner alleged.
The petitioner further submitted a detailed representation to the district collector and the chairman of Tamil Nadu Housing Board on August 31, 2013 seeking the removal of the encroachments. However, no action was forthcoming, he added. In his petition, he prayed for a direction to the officials to consider his representations and clear the encroachments.
A division bench comprising Justices M. Jaichandren and R. Karuppiah ordered notice to the officials and adjourned the case to October 3.
