Chennai: Members of the fishing community here on Monday levelled land encroachment charges against the wife and son of Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
President of South Indian Fishermen Federation Jaya Palayan, who led around 100 persons hailing from Karikkattukuppam fishing hamlet at Muttukadu near here to the Chennai Police Commissioner`s office, said the residents had filed a complaint of land encroachment against Nalini Chidambaram and Karti Chidambaram.
Quoting from the complaint, he alleged that the two had erected compound walls encroaching government land, which subsequently blocked the approach way of fishermen to the sea.
Rejecting the allegations, Arun Natarjan, counsel for Nalini and Karti, said the land was purchased 20 years ago by his clients "who had paid proper stamp duty and all sale deeds in this regard are in tact."
"After the 2004 tsunami, government built houses for the affected fishermen who used the said land for open defecation and the fishermen themselves had thrice demolished the compound erected for my clients` welfare. In fact, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the High Court recently against the open defecation and notices have been issued," he said.
PTI
