Cut power to those illegally occupying Adheenam land: HC

Those illegally occupying land of Thiruvadurai Adheenam (Mutt) in Tirunelveli district are in for trouble with the Madras High Court directing district officials to deny electricity connections to residents there.
The Adheenam has 3,483 acres in the district and many families had occupied a portion of it.
Justice T S Sivagnanam of the Madurai bench of the court issued the orders today while disposing a petition from Inspector of the Aadheenam, P Arumugam.
He directed the Inspector to submit a memorandum to the Tirunelveli District Collector and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) and to the officials to consider it and take action against the illegal encroachers as per law.

The petitioner submitted that the Adheenam owned lands in Adankarkulam village, South Valliyoor, Irrukanthurai, Pavalur and Thanakkankulam.
TANGEDCO had provided power to the encroachers without the 'No objection certificate' from the Adheenam, he said.
The special government pleader submitted that those occupying the land were people living Below the Poverty Line with the consent of the Adheenam, which counsel for Adheenam denied.
The Adheenam is the oldest Saivite mutt in South India, set up more than 1,500 years back and is located near the famous Meenakshi Temple, one of the prominent Siva-Shakthi shrines in the world.