CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea alleging encroachment by GRT Hotels and Resorts near Mamallapuram, noting that the court could not find any force in the allegations.
The First Bench of Chief Justice S.K. Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan while dismissing the PIL moved by V. Kittu, Kancheepuram Deputy Secretary of VCK, directed the revenue authorities to make necessary changes in the village records expeditiously.
According to the petitioner, the private hospitality firm had allegedly encroached on 9.99 acres of public land in Mamallapuram village and that the hotel building was constructed in violation of rules and regulations. He further alleged that the company had obtained bogus pattas for the encroached lands and had availed of loans from various financial institutions.
Denying the allegations, the India Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ITDC) submitted that the corporation was the original owner of the land in dispute. The ITDC further submitted that the land was a subject matter of a dis-investment scheme, through which the title has been legally transferred to the hotel.
The Revenue Department also filed a separate counter affidavit making it clear that there was no encroachment on the part of the private hotel.
