Theni collector asked to explain ‘missing hillock’

http://www.dtnext.in/News/City/2016/02/10234317/Theni-collector-asked-to-explain-missing-hillock.vpf

Theni collector asked to explain ‘missing hillock’

Published: Feb 11,201608:30 AM

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The Madras High Court has directed the Theni District Collector to come up with a specific answer about the fate of a missing hillock

Chennai:

First bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice M M Sundresh, while disposing a plea about the disappearance of the hillock, said “We are of the view that the only direction to be passed is for the petitioner’s representation on November 2, 2015 and the subsequent reminder on December 22, 2015 to be responded to by the District Collector, within a period of one month answering the fate of what is claimed to be a hillock.” 

The bench also held that “The petitioner claims that the hillock had disappeared. We fail to appreciate the stand, as if there was a hill at some stage of time and if the petitioner was interested in the same, he would have had knowledge as to by what activity the hill is alleged to have disappeared rather than claiming that there should be some kind of vigilance enquiry into it.”

 The petitioner J Mohanraj, a retired police officer, had contended that he had raised the issue of the missing hillock on September 30, 2013. But with no response coming forth, he had subsequently obtained information through Right to Information Act that the land in question is a poromboke land on which no lease was given by the District Collector to quarry gravel sand from the said land. 

However, based on this he put forth a representation to the Government on November 2, 2015, seeking to know as to how could a hill area that too in the vicinity of the collector and Superintendent of Police’s camp office, completely disappear. He had also claimed that the ‘loot’ of gravel and trees may be around Rs.500 crore.