NGO accuses TN minister, sons of illegally seizing state-owned land
The NGO alleged that the land in St Thomas Mount has been illegally seized by the milk and dairy development minister and his sons
An anti-corruption NGO has accused Tamil Nadu minister RS Rajakannappan of illegally taking over 5 acres of state-owned land worth Rs 400 crore in Chennai.
The Chennai-based Arappor Iyakkam filed a complaint on Tuesday (October 22) with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption (DVAC). This is the apex governmental body in Tamil Nadu that addresses governmental corruption.
The NGO alleged that the land in St. Thomas Mount has been illegally seized by the milk and dairy development minister and his sons in collusion with revenue department officials.
Land from British times
According to the NGO, several plots of government-owned land at St. Thomas Mount were leased for about 50 years by the British to individuals, mostly British citizens who lived in the region before 1947.
These lands returned to government control on expiry of the lease.
The NGO’s complaint said that Rajakannappan and his sons Prabu Kannappan, Diwakar Kannappan and Dilip Kumar Kannappan had grabbed the government land in the survey number 1,353 and 1,352 of Parangimalai village on GST Road in Chennai.
NGO’s accusation
The NGO’s convenor, Jayaram Venkatesan, told The Print that the lands have been registered under Deccan’s Fun Island & Hotels Ltd, a company where Rajakannappan’s sons are directors and own 33 percent of the shares.
A furious minister threatened to take legal action against those hiding the district court and high court ruling and spreading false information about him and his family.
Asked how the sale of land was unlawful, Jayaram said the sellers were illegally holding the land because a 1980 government order prohibited the registration of poramboke (government) land at St. Thomas Mount.
Lawyer defends land deal
A statement issued by lawyer G Saravana Kumar on behalf of Deccan’s Fun Island & Hotels Ltd said the lands were recognised as private lands by the High Court in 2017.
Kumar also vowed to take legal action against those spreading false information about the property of a company where the minister’s sons hold shares.
A known party-hopper, Rajakannappan was once with the AIADMK before joining the now ruling DMK. In the recent cabinet reshuffle, he was allotted the milk and dairy development along with khadi.