Complaint against Ex-Panchayat Union Chief

ERODE: Residents of Periyapuliyur near Bhavani on Tuesday lodged a complaint against a former panchayat union (PU) chairman of the village, accusing him of violating rules in a land deal.In their petition to the special anti-land grab unit at the Erode SP’s office, a group of villagers said Karuppanna Pandaram of Periyapuliyur had received a 4.5-acre government land on conditional patta in 1981.However, former PU chairman Ponnusamy bought it seven years later for real estate purposes and secured a patta for it. He, however, sold the land to another person for a huge margin, they claimed. Similarly, an eight-acre land was bought by some persons for real estate development, the residents said. According to them, plots received under conditional pattas cannot be sold.When contacted, Ponnusamy, who came for an inquiry into the issue at the anti-land grab cell, said the rule prohibiting sale of conditional pattas was applicable only for 10 years.He claimed that he had paid the land allottee, a peon at a taluk office, the due price, and that he had all land records in his favour. He added that the Gobi RDO had sanctioned the grant of patta for the land in his wife’s name after the Bhavani tahsildar sent a report that both the beneficiary and the purchaser (Ponnusamy) belonged to the same backward caste and hence, no condition was violated.