Revenue dept seals BSNL tower

Udhagamandalam: The revenue department sealed a BSNL tower in Kotagiri on Thursday after the firm failed to pay Rs 1.50crore as lease.

The tower is located on a 33-cent revenue land at Sakthimalai in Kotagiri town. “In 1993, an area of around 1.5 acres of revenue land was leased out to BSNL for erecting towers for an annual rent of Rs 71,000. The lease amount was to be revised every three years based on the market value of the land and the means of utilization,” Kotagiri tahsildar Sangeetha Rani told TOI. “But BSNL paid only Rs 71,000 all these years. Several notices were served. Over the years, the revenue department also took back 1.17 acres of the leased land considering BSNL as a defaulter.”