Transport Minister Thomas Chandy appears to be getting enmeshed deeper in the row over his alleged encroachment of public land and backwaters for his Lake Palace resort in Alappuzha with the District Collector reportedly confirming the allegations and the Alappuzha municipality initiating action against a few of its officials for disappearance of the related files.
Alappuzha Collector T.V. Anupama submitted her preliminary report, with inferences based on satellite images showing changes in the land use pattern in the area over the past several years, to Revenue Miniser E. Chandrasekharan in the State capital on Friday evening.
The Collector briefed Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P.H. Kurian about her findings. Confirming receipt of the Collector’s report, the Revenue Minister told reporters that it was of a preliminary nature and there would have to be a detailed examination of the issue.
In Alappuzha, amidst noisy scenes, municipal chairman Thomas Joseph told the council that four officials of the civic body had been suspended pending inquiry in connection with the disappearance of files pertaining to the resort.
The tax rebate granted to the resort was also being withdrawn. The rebate was given based on a special order of the government issued more than a decade ago and approved by the then municipal council, he said.
The disappearance of files had come into focus when the District Collector asked the municipality to submit all the documents related to the rebate granted to the resort and permissions given for construction of several structures in the resort as part of her investigation into alleged encroachments and misutilisation of MPLAD funds. The municipal authorities had, initially, taken the stand that several files were missing. However, some of these were found later.
The Revenue Minister asked the Land Board to examine the issue on the basis of the District Collector’s findings. On her part, the District Collector had summoned representatives of Mr. Chandy’s resort to explain the findings against them.
