HC nixes land sale plan to Tiruchy Corporation

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court set aside a proposal by Trichy District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union to sell 3.39 acres of the union’s land to Tiruchy Corporation. Terming the action initiated by the former DMK regime as illegal, the Bench observed that ex-Deputy CM and ministers flouted norms and “attempted to ride rou­ghshod over the bylaws of the society” using the collector. Two petitions were filed by the members of the union, seeking to quash the impugned order passed by the milk producers union, which proposed to sell the land to the corporation, in-order to accommodate Gandhi Market. The petitioners contended that the act of the collector, who was a nominated Special Officer of the District Milk Producers Union, to sell the property to the corporation was not justified and that it was illegal.Justice K Chandru, before whom the matter was posted, noted that the former deputy CM and other ministers functioned in an illegal way by not even inviting the Commissioner for Milk Production cum Registrar of Dairy societies to a meeting held to decide on the issue. He also observed that in the absence of any prior approval by the Registrar of Dairy Societies, the special officer cannot sell the property, since he only has a limited role to play. Therefore, he raised apprehensions over the “command performance” done by the then Deputy CM and the ministers. However, he recorded his appreciation for the efforts taken by Commissioner for Milk Production and Dairy Development by complying with the court procedures.