The Madras High Court Bench here has cleared the hurdles in taking a land survey for establishing a ‘Samathuvapuram’ (an egalitarian housing colony) on 10 acres at Pechiparai panchayat in Kanyakumari district.
Disposing of a batch of writ petitions filed by people reportedly occupying the property since 1956, a Division Bench of Justice Chitra Venkataraman and Justice M. Duraiswamy directed the petitioners to extend their cooperation in measuring the land.
On the other hand, the revenue officials were ordered to identify 10 acres (4.05 hectares), out of the 9.72.5 hectares of land available in the locality, with least disturbance to the people living there for many years.
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“Wherever the respondents (officials) feel that a disturbance is likely to be caused, the claim of those who are disturbed shall be considered in a manner that they can be accommodated in Samathuvapuram itself,” the judges said.
They made it clear that the observations made by the court and directions given to the officials should not be taken as conferring any unmerited benefit on persons who were found not occupying the place at all.
The officers were further directed to find out the number of persons who were in physical occupation of the land and consider their claim for grant of patta (land ownership document) if they were found to be landless poor.
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