Private firm gets 40 acres of seashore land free of cost
Details accessed through RTI former principal scientist of Indian Council for Agricultural Research
Update: 2015-04-29 05:55 GMT
Chennai: Controversy surrounding construction of a fishing harbor in eco-sensitive area in Kanyakumari district has taken a new turn. The contentious 40 acres of land in Needakarai B village in Agastheewaram taluk, where the project is proposed, has been gifted free by the state government to a private firm. Details accessed through Right to Information Act (RTI) by local resident and former principal scientist of Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) R.S. Lal Mohan reveal that based on the recommendation of special commissioner and commissioner of land administration, the government passed orders transferring seashore poramboke lands measuring 16.19 hectares (40 acres) lands in favour of fisheries department for construction of fishing harbour free of land value, subject to usual terms and conditions.
The fisheries department, in turn, handed over the lands to Rajakkamangalam Thurai Development Trust. According to the G.O. from secretary of the revenue department issued dated October 5, 2007, Kanyakumari district revenue officer (DRO) first recommended for transfer of lands. DRO said the lands were vacant and it is ideal for the construction of harbor. The officer also justified the reasons for setting up fishing harbor.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Lal Mohan said these lands fall under eco-sensitive Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) — 1(B), which is a protective area between low tide line (LTL) and high tide line (HTL) where activities and new constructions are strictly prohibited. “How can the state government give CRZ-1 lands to a private firm when these lands are classified as protective areas? Moreover, the project area has sand dunes and Olive Ridley marine turtles use the area for breeding”.
Lal Mohan said his stand was vindicated when MoEF, which initially gave the clearance for the private firm to go ahead with the project, suspended it and issued showcause notice to the chairman of Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority and the director of Institute of Remote Sensing at Anna University, and the company for misrepresenting facts. He also made a serious charge that Rajakkamangalam Thurai Development Trust, which took the possession of lands has mortgaged them in the bank and raised crores of rupees.
“I am in the process of collecting documents and will file a separate case. The company is run by three brothers and they are relatives of a serious retired IPS officer in the state”. The attempts of DC to contact the promoters of the company went in vain. However, the counsel for the company submitted in the National Green Tribunal — Southern Bench — where the issue is coming up for hearing on May 5, that notification on CRZ, 1991, under section 2 (VIII) permits land reclamation required for construction of ports, harbor and jottice. The fisheries department is eligible for land transfer free of cost.