Puducherry constitutes special cell to probe land grabbing complaints from French nationals

The cell has been constituted following a request from the Consular-General of France in Puducherry; it will be headed by a sub-divisional magistrate and will look into land grabbing complaints and also demarcate properties where necessary, an official notification said

The Puducherry government has constituted a Special Cell at the sub-divisional level for conducting inquiries into land grabbing complaints received from French nationals. The cell has been constituted following a request from the Consular-General of France in Puducherry.

According to an official notification, the cell will be headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate-cum-Deputy Collector who will be the chairperson. The cell will also comprise the Superintendent of Police of the concerned region, Tahsildar and Sub-Registrar.

The special cell will receive land grabbing complaints from French nationals and demarcate properties wherever required. The cell will pass necessary orders under the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and other relevant Codes/Acts wherever required (or) render advice to the parties to approach the Jurisdictional Civil Court in case of title disputes.

In cases of the property not belonging to the French nationals, the complaints will be referred to the Administrative Advisory Committee, while in cases of fraudulent registrations, the special cell may refer the case to the District Registrar for initiating necessary action as per the guidelines/circular in force.

The cell will also recommend restoration of mutation, by the District Collector, based on fraudulent registrations, if any, under the provisions of the Puducherry Settlement Act, 1970. The Special Cell may also invite any officials of government departments as special invitees, in case of necessity, based on the complaints. The functioning of the cell will be monitored and reviewed by the District Collector once every three months.