HC orders status quo in allotment of houses for tsunami victims

Chennai, July 26 (UNI) Madras High Court today ordered the Tamil Nadu Government to maintain status-quo in the distribution of 1,392 tenements constructed on the land given by a private company to rehabitate tsunami victims who lost houses and livelihood.

The court was hearing a petition filed by five tsunami victims pleading for transparency in allotment process by framing proper guidelines.

The petitioners said of the 1,392 tenemenets constructed, the government decided to give 991 tenements on the basis of priority and 441 on the basis of selecting lots from those with age seniority.

They also submitted the allotment process was arbitrary and violative of natural justice and also of Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.

The poorest of the poor are left out from the allotment process, they said.

Hearing the petition, the First Court comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Mr Justice P Jyothimani ordered the government to maintain staus-quo in the allotment porocess.

UNI