Storm brewing over a tea estate

For Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa,her assets seem to become her liability. In the latest controversy,an illegal building is reportedly...

For Opposition leader J Jayalalithaa,her assets seem to become her liability. In the latest controversy,an illegal building is reportedly being built inside the sprawling Kodanadu Tea Estate in Ooty Hills,where she dwells during the hot summer months.

The state government has ordered an inquiry into the reported construction of a tea factory inside the 862-acre estate in Nilgiris district. The estate has always been an enigma due to complete lack of public access and the mystery surrounding its ownership.

According to sources,the permission for the disputed building was given by the president of Kodanadu panchayat,Pon Dhous,a Toda tribal who is a member of the local DMK unit. But the panchayat presidents power to grant building permission is limited to 250 sq metres,while the one in the estate is about double of that,alleged government sources.

Local sources said the estate administration obtained permission through four different applications one each on July 30 and 31,and two on August 19,2009. Each application sought permission for a structure measuring roughly 125 sq metres,though the building was constructed as a single unit.

To construct a building of present size,it is mandatory to obtain no-objection certificates from Forest,Mines and Agriculture Engineering departments. Bypassing this condition,the four different approvals were used to construct a single structure, said a government official.

The issue came to light when the local BDO was tipped off about the existence of the building. He sent a notice to Dhous on November 23,asking how he could permit the construction. Notices were sent to the estate administration,which did not respond, the source added. On December 22,Dhous sent a cancellation order to the estate by registered post,which was returned.

Meanwhile,Jaya has maintained that she was only undertaking renovation of an old factory. The estate has been in the eye of a controversy for several years,and had almost led to Jayas disqualification as an Assembly member for not declaring it in her assets in the election affidavit. Jaya had then denied having any ownership interests over the property,though Karunanidhi circulated copies of a balance sheet of the Kodanadu Tea Estates Company,to prove his claim that both Jayalalithaa and her aide Sasikala had invested Rs 3.60 crore in the estate.