Thiruvananthapuram: The city corporation on Monday conducted a building file adalat to clear the files pending for a long time. The people who were denied building permits thronged the council lounge. As there was a huge number of cases, (302), LSGD Minister K.T. Jaleel skipped his lunch, according to Welfare Standing Committee Chairperson R. Geetha Gopal. By 6 p.m, 200 cases were considered, of which 130 were settled, said a statement from the Mayor’s office. There were at least 20 cases which were delayed because of clarifications connected with Kerala Conservation of Wetland and Paddyland Act 2008.
One such case was that of an 84-year-old person, who had submitted the application in April 2016. According to basic tax receipt, the land was classified as ‘purayidam,’ while the village officer calls it a ‘nilam.’ LSGD principal secretary T.K. Jose said that such cases should be quickly resolved. A total of 36 new applications related to building permits were considered. Many of the cases which were settled immediately were delayed because of minor errors in the application.
The minister, during the inaugural function, had said that delaying building files for minor issues will be considered as corruption. He said that it had come to his notice that building files were getting blocked at the Health, Town Planning and Revenue sections. Mayor V.K. Prashanth, Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravikumar, Corproation Secretary Narasimhugari T.L. Reddy, Collector S. Venkatesapathy and Suchitwa Mission’s K.Vasuki were present.
War veteran seeks to close 20-year-old land case
An eighty-year-old war veteran was at the Corporation Adalat on Monday seeking closure on a property issue which started in 1996. Peerughan M. has been unable to do any construction in his two-cent plot in Muttada, even as various authorities at different times have found his demand to be just. At the adalat as well, LSGD minister K. T. Jaleel and collector S. Venkatesapathy said that they were convinced about his claim.
Peerughan said that his neighbour, who has illegally encroached upon his land, is not letting him renovate his house. Now, he is living in a rented house at Plamoodu. “The electricity and water supply to the house has been disconnected,” he said. However, authorities are careful about taking any action against the neighbour, who they fear is mentally unstable. It is a sensitive issue according to mayor V. K. Prashanth. “It is hard to convince his neighbour. Last time, the said person brought down a wall built by the corporation. Police case cannot be charged, as we suspect the neighbour is not mentally fit,” he said.
