Arappor Iyakkam has lodged a complaint with the DVAC enclosing documentary evidence against various officials of the Registration Department who allegedly indulged in corrupt activities and allowed encroachment of the Pallikaranai marshland.
In a virtual press meet on Wednesday, the Arappor Iyakkam functionaries said of the 1,800 acres of Pallikaranai marshland, which is under the possession of the Forest Department, transactions had been done over nearly 1,000 acres of land with the support of the officials of the Registration Department in two decades. According to the complaint, all the officials involved in the illegal transaction held high and important positions now.
Arappor Iyakkam convenor Jayaram Venkatesan cited several instances where parts of marshland had been grabbed by some individuals.
He said while the marshland came under the jurisdiction of the Saidapet sub-registrar office, a transaction involving more than 66 acres of land was ‘registered’ in the Royapuram sub-registrar office in the name of an unknown trust at a throw away price of ₹1 lakh in 2004.
A Central Crime Branch case was pending in this regard. Similarly, more than seven acres of the marshland bearing survey no. 534/4 adjacent to Perumbakkam village was registered in the name of a private party by showing the survey no. 354 which pertained to only 49 cents of land, he added.
Landgrab became rampant after the Pallikaranai marshland was handed over to the Forest Department in 2007 as more than 38 transactions had been registered, the complaint pointed out.
All these registrations had been nullified by the High Court in September last year and the marshland had been put in encumbrance list.
The court ordered that no sale registrations would be carried out pertaining to the survey numbers designated for the marshland area. However, action had not been taken against the officials involved in the illegal transactions, the complain said.
A senior official of the Registration Department said once they get a copy of the complaint lodged with the DVAC, the matter would be looked into.