High Court grants interim stay on land allotment to journos

A public interest litigation was filed by NGO Thaneer Iyakkam.  The petition said that the alleged land allotted to the journalists in Tiruchy was an encroachment of 55 acres of water body named Kootapattu Periyakulam Tank. The order was even sanctioned by the State Revenue Secretary in 2008 and even in the order it was mentioned that the water body should be converted into Natham Poramboke before being handed over to the journalists. Even in the RTI reply Tiruchy Corporation had claimed that the building plan approval would not be given as it was a water body. The NGO alleged that to cover the water body, members of Tiruchy Press Club filled the area with sand and thereby encroached it. The NGO also prayed that the order of district administration which allotted the land to the journalists should be stayed. Hearing of the petition came up on Friday and after hearing the argument the High Court gave an interim stay on  the order of the Tiruchy district administration.