HC order on PIL against conversion of farm lands

The Madras High Court today directed the Tamil Nadu Revenue Secretary to set up an expert committee to go into unauthorised conversion of agricultural lands into housing plots in the guise of urbanisation.
"We are of the view that the state government must take necessary steps to stop such illegal urbanisation while issuing suitable directions to ensure that the registration of documents in such cases is not carried out," it said.
A bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan, gave the order on a PIL by one T Manjula of Sayanavaran village in Arakkonam taluk of Vellore district seeking to forbear authorities from giving approval to conversion of agricultural lands into residential layouts.

The petitioner alleged that from 2008 complaints had been made about unauthorised conversion of agricultural lands to layouts, resulting in unplanned urbanisation without requisite permission from the Director of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and the Village Panchayat.
The bench directed DTCP to carry out an inspection in so far as the lands in question mentioned by the petitioner within a month and take action if it found unapproved layouts.
The bench observed that "The illegality and the nuisance caused to the residents of the villages in Tamil Nadu by such illegal conversion of agricultural lands to residential areas through the process of unapproved lay out plans is a matter of common knowledge. Periodically, directions are issued by the court for taking necessary actions.

It also directed the Revenue Secretary to set up an expert committee to look into the measures to be taken to prevent the mushrooming of unauthorised layouts, the parting of possession and construction thereon and the registration of documents in this behalf within three months.
The bench posted the matter for compliance to September 30.