Standing order: Court attaches office chairs

KOTTAYAM: The employees of a government office found themselves in an awkward predicament on Thursday as they had to work with no chairs to sit on for the second day running after a court issued an order attaching their office chairs over non-payment of land compensation to a woman.
As many as 10 employees of the sub-treasury office functioning from the mini-civil station in Pathanamthitta had to bear the brunt of the court's displeasure after the government sat on its directive to act upon a petition filed by one Omanayamma of Pandalam.
The woman had approached the court in 1998 seeking compensation for giving away her land for the Kallada irrigation project. In her complaint she had pointed out that the compensation she received was far too little and subsequently, the court issued an order to allot Rs 76,384 more to the petitioner. There are 20 employees in the sub-treasury. Now, half of the them are left without any chairs.