Action plan to handle land grabbing issues on anvil in Pondy

Department of Revenue and Disaster Management in Puducherry will soon come out with an 'effective action plan' to deal with complaints of land grabbing and encroachments to bring relief to aggrieved sections of landowners in the Union Territory, a top official today said.
Puducherry District Collector D.Manikandan said there were complaints of grabbing of lands and to settle the grievances of the land owners an action plan would soon be enforced.
Officials of the Departments of Revenue and Police would hold joint meetings with the complainants and also those against whom complaints were made to bring to an end the disputes, he told reporters here.

Manikandan said actual number of complaints were being tabulated and the grievances would be dealt with effectively. Such meetings would be held regularly every month.
He also said Revenue department was also in the process of computerizing land records so that there would be hassle free availability of relevant documents to the land owners.
Manikandan said directions had been issued to all political parties, private organisations and institutions that advertisement materials displayed by them in public places should be removed by October 20.

If there was no adherence to this deadline, revenue authorities would remove them by this month end and collect the cost from the concerned political parties or organisations. In case there was display of any advertisement material beyond October 31, criminal action would be launched against those violating the ban, he said.

He said advertisements displayed by government departments were exempted from the ban order.
A total ban had been brought into force under statutory provisions and also in keeping with the directives of the Madras High Court issued in a PIL filed by individuals.