HC dismisses PIL challenging government allotment of land

The Meghalaya High Court today dismissed a PIL filed by a social organization challenging the Congress-led state government's decision to allot land to bureaucrats, at a token fee of Re 1 per square feet in New Shillong Township.
A division bench of Justice T N K Singh and Justice Sudip Ranjan Sen in its judgement said that the allotment of land to the respondent (a registered society of bureaucrats) in the given case fell under the policy decision of the government for public welfare.
Reasoning that the PIL was "devoid of merit", the bench dismissed it as not 'maintainable'.
The organization, Civil Society Women's Organization (CSWO) had in 2012 filed an affidavit in the Court against the state government and others for allotment of land to the civil servants at New Shillong on the outskirts of the city.

In its affidavit, the state government stated that the decision to lease the land for 99 years to the Civil Services Officers Housing Society Ltd was taken with an aim to develop houses that would be leased to the official members of the society.
CSWO president Agnes Kharshiing said she would move the higher court.
The matter had come to light in 2011 when a CAG report had noted that 'unauthorized' allotment of land to the society as well as incorrect fixation of premium at a lower rate resulted in undue financial benefit of Rs 78.42 lakh to the Society besides allotment of land in excess of the prescribed limit.