Chennai: The Madras high court has cautioned that unless appropriate measures are taken by the state government, it will have no other option but to call upon the secretaries of different departments to attend court daily so that non-dealing with the representations is attended to, rather than wasting the time of the court.
“This is more so as the inaction is in violation of GO of the personal and administrative reforms (A) department dated September 21, 2015, which stipulates that grievance petitions should be acknowledged within three days of receipt and the grievance itself should be redressed within a maximum period of one month of its receipt and it should be with a speaking order in the event of redressal or rejection, if found necessary,” said a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan while disposing a petition from one C.Arumugam.
Petitioner sought a direction to the authorities to consider and pass orders on his written representation dated February 10, 2016, for removal of alleged encroachment made by one H. Mohammed Jahir in Mulachur Marakkanam Road on the road margin abutting the agricultural land at Attur Village in Tindivanam Taluk.
The bench said the petitioner made a representation as far as back on February 10, 2016 for removal of alleged encroachment by H. Mohammed Jahir in Mulachur Marakkanam Road, but the grievance of the petitioner was that this representation has remained unattended.
“We direct the Villupuram district collector to take a decision on the representation of the petitioner within a maximum period of three months from the date of receipt of the order. We cannot, however leave the issue at this, as while dealing with such matters relating to land encroachment and unauthorised construction, we are inundated with petitions only on account of failure of the authorities concerned to respond to the representation and take a decision one way or other. A division bench of this court cannot be made into a post office for deciding the representations,” the bench added and gave the above caution.
