The Devikulam Subcollector has cancelled the licence and operation permit issued by the Pallivasal grama panchayat to Golden Palace Resort at Pallivasal, near Munnar, owned by K.P. Varkey Group.
In an order issued to the Pallivasal grama panchayat secretary on Friday, the Subcollector said the licence and operation permit should be cancelled with immediate effect.
The order said the licence had been issued even though the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Revenue Department, as mandated by the Kerala High Court for all constructions in Munnar, had not been obtained by the resort.
It was a violation of the High Court order and a directive in this regard was also being issued to the Deputy Director of Panchayats, the order said.
All buildings in Devikulam taluk required the NOC other than those ruled otherwise by the High Court, the order said.
Following reports about granting of licence to the illegal building, the Devikulam Subcollector had sought an explanation from the Deputy Director of Panchayats.
He, however, failed to give sufficient documents to justify the action of the grama panchayat secretary.
Stop memo
Moreover, the Pallivasal village office had served a stop memo on the building in 2016 and 2017.
The grama panchayat secretary issued the licence without the permission of the higher-ups and overruling the memos issued by the village authorities. The grama panchayat secretary did it on the basis of a decision passed by the grama panchayat council without considering the rules and the High Court order in 2011.
The grama panchayat secretary also failed to give the complete files as per a notice issued to him seeking reasons for issuing licence to the building.
The explanation given by the grama panchayat secretary was aimed at misleading the Subcollector’s office and the action of issuing the licence violated the court order.
The licence, building permit, and all certificates issued to the multi-storey building illegally and without the NOC of the Revenue Department stand cancelled, the order said.
