Says 419 land grabbers have been arrested

Vast extents of land worth Rs. 415.48 crore have been retrieved from land grabbers and restored to their rightful owners, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa informed the State Assembly on Wednesday.

Replying to the debate on the demands for grants concerning the police and fire and rescue services departments, she said as many as 8,947 complaints were received by the present regime and 462 cases were registered. Charge sheets have been filed in three cases and 419 land grabbers arrested.

Noting that many of these complaints had been given during the tenure of the previous government itself, she said the police did not take any action then. “How could they, when Ministers were involved in such high-handed actions?” she asked. The people, who were railing at the police during DMK rule, were now showering praise on the same police department, she said.

Quoting John Kenneth Galbraith, who had said “the willingness to confront unequivocally, the major anxiety of the people” was the “essence of leadership”, Ms. Jayalalithaa said she had focussed on the main concern of the people at this time.

Making a series of announcements, she said that in five years, all police personnel would get housing facilities. Buildings would be constructed for 22 police stations functioning in rented buildings and 82 now housed in dilapidated buildings. The existing vacancies in the police force – 896 sub-inspectors, 121 technical sub-inspectors and 5,588 Grade II constables – would be filled up soon.

In addition to the four existing permanent police training schools, four more would be set up at Avadi, Villupuram, Salem and Madurai. The 12 coastal police stations under the Coastal Security Group would get all-terrain vehicles at a cost of Rs. 48.72 lakh, she said.

She said Salem and Tirunelveli would get cyber cells, while laboratories would come up in Salem, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchi.

The government would pay feeding charges of Rs. 100 a day to police personnel up to the rank of inspector without the present monthly limit of 20 days. The cadre strength of home guards would go up from 11,622 to 16,000 and their allowance raised to Rs. 150 a day.

Feeding charges for sniffer and tracker dogs would be raised from Rs. 54 a day to Rs. 85. Their grooming charges would be raised to Rs. 300 a day from Rs. 250.

The Tamil Nadu Police Housing Corporation would henceforth construct all buildings of the prison and fire and rescue services departments.