The government received 34,703 complaints of land-grabbing in various districts and lands worth Rs 758.04 crore have been recovered. Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa is keen on eradicating land grab in the state, revenue minister K.A. Sengottaiyan informed the Assembly on Monday while tabling the demand for grants for his department.
Several former ministers and their aides were involved in grabbing lands. Pointing out that such complaints were prevalent across the state, he mentioned Madurai and Salem districts as highly prone to such complaints due to the presence of DMK heavyweights and ministers.
The situation was worse in Madurai where about 37.5 acres, worth Rs 9 crore, were distributed among a select group of people violating government norms.
The issue is now under investigation and the land will be absorbed by the government and distributed among landless beneficiaries, the minister said.
However, he refrained from naming the former ministers while levelling the charges and reiterated that officials who helped them would also be taken to task.
Replying to queries from legislators, he announced reclassification of revenue division in some parts of the state by forming a committee to look into the revenue regions and boundaries.
To a query related to establishment of a single collectorate for the newly-formed Chennai city and establishing a common revenue administration, the minister said workload will pile up for the collectorate if the revenue administrations were integrated as Chennai now caters to nearly 48 lakh residents. However, the issue would be taken to the notice of the CM, the minister added.