Kanyakumari collector's car attached for delay in paying dues

NAGERCOIL: The Kanyakumari district administration found itself in an embarrassing situation on Monday as the official vehicle of the collector was attached by officials from the local court at the district collectorate in Nagercoil. Ironically, the order was carried out in the presence of scores of people who had turned up for the weekly grievances meeting to petition the collector.
The car was attached over delay in settlement of compensation to the tune of `1.28 lakh to the petitioner whose land was acquired by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board in 1993.It is learnt that a total of 42 cents was acquired at Vallankumaranvilai near Nagercoil from two persons, Shanmugam and Siva kamiammal, at 21 cents each.
Since the housing board delayed payment of compensation at the then market value of `1,28,100, the landowners had moved the court and got an order in their favour in 2000. As the district administration failed to honour it, they moved the court again and got an order in 2005 to fulfil the earlier order.Sivakamiammal's son Prabhu told reporters on Monday that despite this direction the district administration had not fully paid the meagre compensation with inter est, due to which the court had attached the collector's car. Court staff Yogeswaran and Gopalakrishnan who executed the order also served notices to attach 10 computers in the collectorate.
Kanyakumari Collector Sajjansingh R Chavan told TOI that the attached vehicle was one of those allotted to him. “It pertains to a case between an individual and the housing board. Compensation has been given to the individual for the acquisition but I have come to learn that he has demanded more interest,“ he said. Stating that he and the district administration had extended full cooperation to the judiciary to execute the order, he said he would not comment any further on the issue as it was a court direction. “We are taking efforts to revoke the order,“ he added.