Rs 350 crore worth fake pattas land two in soup

CHENNAI: Two officials of the revenue department have come under the scanner after the Chengalpattu district administration unearthed a major scandal, involving the illegal issue of government land pattas worth Rs 350 crore. An FIR too has been registered against the officials. The issue came to light a few months ago when authorities conducted an inquiry into a petition over a patta dispute. It was found that a large extent of land at Thazhambur village of Vandalur taluk, which was classified as “Anadeenam”, had been reclassified and assigned to several people.

“Anadeenam” is a land not owned by anybody, in which case, it becomes vested with the government. One can apply for a grant of patta for such a land only if they can prove their possession of the land for all the years they have lived there. Over 105 acres of “Anadeenam” land packets had been allotted to several private persons illegally, between 2008 and 2019, at Thazhambur village.

According to sources, three officials – A Balasubramani, Joint Commissioner (Land Reforms), Villupuram, A Palaniammal, Assistant Commissioner (Land Reforms), Villupuram, and D Muthuvadivelu, Revenue Divisional Officer, Chengalpattu – had issued orders granting pattas at different points of time, to several persons by changing the classification of the land.

Revenue officials have retrieved both manual and online records of the land data to ascertain involvement of the officials in altering the classification. During the field verification, it was found that those who received pattas neither resided on the land nor held its possession at any point of time.

Pankaj Kumar Bansal, Commissioner of Land Administration, upon being brought to notice about the scam, passed an order declaring the orders issued by the three officials null and void, and directed the Collector to initiate necessary legal action against them. 

Acting on this, District Collector A John Louis, cancelled over 110 pattas issued illegally and directed the registration department not to register lands of specific survey numbers at Thazhambur. An FIR was also registered under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 477A (falsification of accounts), 420 (cheating) and 34 (criminal act with common intention).

The officials under the scanner are currently in the rank of the District Revenue Officer and Revenue Divisional Officer. The probe is underway.

Reforms wing 
Until a few years ago, the Land Reforms wing of the revenue department functioned in Villupuram separately, and looked after lands acquired through various reforms acts since 1951. Presently, functions of the wing have been brought under respective district authorities.