Kochi: In a setback to former transport minister Thomas Chandy, the state government on Friday informed the Kerala High Court that the district collector of Alappuzha had reported wetland reclamation by the Water World Company owned by Mr Chandy. The court had sought the government’s opinion in the case which had led to the resignation of Mr Chandy from the cabinet.
In a setback to former transport minister Thomas Chandy, the state government on Friday informed the Kerala High Court that the district collector of Alappuzha had reported wetland reclamation by the Water World Company owned by Mr Chandy.
The court had sought the government's opinion in the case which had led to the resignation of Mr Chandy from the cabinet. The government also submitted different documents, including the satellite pictures of the area. The contention of the Water World Company that sufficient documents were not given to the company were not true, it said.
It was not clear now whether the reclamation was done before or after 2008 when the Kerala Conservation of Paddyland and Wetland Act came into being, the government said. The court asked the collector to make this clear.
The company had approached the court against the notice given by collector T.V. Anupama over the land encroachment by the Lake Palace Resort owned by the Water World Company.
However, the government contended that all revenue documents were supplied to the company. Following this, the court disposed of the case asking the company to raise its contention before the collector within 10 days. The court also postponed the collector's hearing in the case to January 15. It asked the collector to make available a copy to the Water World Company if she bases her final report on any fresh document.
