Date:16/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/16/stories/2008111653900300.htm

Tamil Nadu

“Monitor conversion of cultivable lands”

Special Correspondent

Government instructs all village panchayats to take action

TIRUVARUR: The State government has instructed all the village panchayats to monitor conversion of cultivable lands into house sites without permission and take action against persons indulging in such illegal activities.

A senior official of the local administration department told The Hindu on Friday that people from several villages brought to the notice of the Government that some people had started purchasing agricultural lands on the roadside and started selling these lands as house sites without getting permission from the Government.

The villagers also drew the attention of the Government that innocent people from several parts of the district were falling prey to the illegal brokers.

Fine money for development works

He said that the Collector had also convened a meeting of village panchayat presidents recently and told them to increase the income of the panchayats by levying fine up to Rs. 1 lakh for unauthorized construction of small scale units and workshops in villages. The money accrued by way of fine could be used for various development activities of the panchayats.

The panchayat presidents have also been instructed to take stern action against persons cutting the trees in the panchayats without obtaining proper permission and also encroaching the Government and poromboke land in the villages.

All the panchayats should take adequate care and select the correct site without any problem for carrying out a development work before asking the Government for administrative sanction for any project. Similarly, the panchayat presidents should take special efforts for implementing the welfare projects under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam and also for providing employment to rural labourers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme.

The panchayats have also been asked to explain and create awareness among the rural masses about the NREG scheme that benefits all the families in rural areas to get employment for a minimum period of 100 days in a year and get a maximum wage of Rs.80 per day. Besides, the panchayat presidents have been advised to use electricity as minimum as possible and cooperate with the TNEB in their respective areas to provide power supply to agricultural pumpsets.