Alappuzha collector's decision on lake palace resort soon
She had given three specific questions to the company, Water World Tourism, in connection with levelling of wetland for the parking area.
Alappuzha: District collector T.V. Anupama is likely to decide soon on Lake Palace resort land row based on evidence its operators submitted during the hearing held Wednesday at the Collectorate.
She had given three specific questions to the company, Water World Tourism, in connection with levelling of wetland for the parking area.
Collector said she would check if Section 13 or subsection of 4 of Section 3 of the Kerala Paddy and Wetland Conservation Act 2008 would apply after vetting details.
"The report I will prepare will have an answer to the allegation raised by the company authorities. Presently I have not made up my mind to take any decision in this regard. It’s not right to take a decision right away after hearing. Naturally, it will take a couple of days," she said.
As per the Section 13, the collector is vested with the power to prosecute the occupier or holder of a disputed land while subsection 4 of Section 3 allows the collector to persuade the person to bring back the land to the original form.
Earlier on September 27, in a five-page interim report to the revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan, she had said 4.5 to 12.5-metre land was levelled violating the Kerala Paddy and Wetland Conservation Act 2008.
The encroachment, as shown in satellite images, was carried out after 2014, it says.
The 2008 satellite image shows no road through the ground, and after 2011 it built approach roads and parking area step by step, as shown in the pictures of 2011, ’14 and ’17.
Meanwhile, the company in a statement said the issue collector raising (the levelling of parking area) was sub-judice.
It says a person had filed a petition in 2014 before the High Court. The court had heard all the concerned people, and the case is still pending.
The statement also said the levelling happened as part of bund strengthening that had not done under the company’s inspection but the Padashekhara Samiti under the supervision of the irrigation department on district collector’s directive.
"The company has no requirement to change the direction or level of the water channel, and this does not fall under the company’s set of activities," it says.