The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Panchayat officer restrained

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Friday, Jul 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Panchayat officer restrained

Staff Reporter

At area marked no-construction zone under Sethu project

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday restrained the Executive officer, Special Grade Town Panchayat, Tiruppuvanam in Sivaganga district from confirming the tender for the proposed bus terminus in an area declared as no-construction zone under the Sethusamudram project.

Admitting a public interest litigation against the construction, a Division Bench comprising Justice K.P. Sivasubramaniam and Justice S.K. Krishnan granted the interim injunction and issued notice to the District planning officer.

According to the petitioner, G. Ravi (34), a ward councillor of the local body, the executive officer on March 18 proposed to construct a bus terminus at the Panchayat, situated on the Madurai-Rameswaram National Highway 49. Initially the terminus, at an estimated cost of Rs.3 lakhs, was proposed at a land opposite the market on the road leading to Maadapuram and the funds from constituency development fund of the Member of Parliament for Sivaganga were earmarked.

But, the executive officer on June 15, issued another notification calling tenders for constructing the bus terminus in a different place at an increased estimate of Rs.7 lakhs, the petitioner alleged. He also brought it to the notice of the court that the Central Government on May 23 had banned construction in certain areas, including the place for which tender have been called for the second time, on the National Highway 49 for widening the road under the Sethusamudram project.

Though the notification was brought to the knowledge of the authorities, they failed to adhere to it and were proceeding with the tender notification, the petitioner claimed.

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