Kerala Lok Ayukta orders seizure of 4.35 cents of govt land

The Kerala Lok Ayukta today ordered the Thiruvananthapuram district Collector to further seize 4.356 cents of prime government land from a real estate developer at nearby Pattoor, where a high rise apartment and shopping complex was constructed.

A divisionbench of the Lok Ayukta comprising Justices Pious C Kuriakose and K P Balachandran gave the interim order on a petition by one Joy Kaitharath after perusing the evidence and conducting a detailed hearing.

Earlier, the Lok Ayukta had ordered seizure of 12.279 cents of land from the developer.

It also ordered seizures of about 1.06 cents of land from persons who had taken possession of government land.

The petitioner had approached the Lok Ayukta in 2014 alleging that the developers, Artech Realtors, had usurped government land at Pattoor for constructing high-rise building comprising flats and a shopping complex.

He had also alleged that the respondents had forged records, falsified orders and reports to appropriate 16.5 cents of public land valued at Rs 8 crore for constructing the apartment complex.

Allegations had also been made against various public servants.

The Lok Ayukta had in 2014 ordered constitution of a team of officers led by former Vigilance DGP Jacob Thomas to probe the complaint.

On the basis of Thomas' report, the Lok Ayukta had stayed the construction of the flats, which was challenged by the developers in the Kerala High Court.

The high court had then permitted them to continue the construction work.