HC orders TN to re-examine government-leased properties

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu government to re-examine the leases of government lands across Tamil Nadu and upload the lease details on government website within a month.

In 1968, 5.90 acres of land owned by the government at Madurai was leased to a private hotel "Pandyan hotels limited" for a period of 25 years. The lease period ended in 2008.

Subsequently, in 2015 the government ordered to pay Rs.36.58 crore as the land lease rent based on the market value. The Madurai Tashildar in his order insisted to the pay the rent and if not paid said that the lease agreement will considered as canceled.

Challenging the Tashildar order, the Pandyan hotels limited moved the Madras High Court seeking to quash the government order. The case was heard by Justice SM Subramaniam of Madras High Court. The judge rejected the petitioner's request and said that after the expiry of the lease period the rent fixed by the government has to be paid. Justice noted that the petitioner had made a lot of profit by running the hotel in government land worth Rs.300 crore spread over 3 acres without permission for 14 years. The judge in his order said that the petitioner is a chronic defaulter in payment of rent. The court disposed the petition and directed the State to collect the dues and recover the land within a month.

The Justice also ordered the secretary of Revenue department and commissioner of land administration to re-examine the leases of government properties across the state and to upload the lease details of the government lands in one month' s time, the HC ruled in its order copy.