Kerala - Kochi   

Brahmapuram: landowners to meet District Collector

Staff Reporter

To formally communicate their demand for a price hike at prevailing market rates

KOCHI: As the deadlock over the price of the land for the proposed solid waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram continues, a section of the landowners will meet the District Collector on Monday to formally communicate their demand for price hike

The representatives of the landowners, in their letters, will also state their opposition to the handing over of the land at the price that has been fixed by the district administration. Copies of the letters would also be handed over to Kochi Mayor Mercy Williams, said M.I. Pareeth, convener of the action council of the landowners.

The action council leaders and the civic administration had communicated to each other their respective stands on the issue over telephone.

The action council leaders were earlier intimated that the land price could not be hiked any further, said Ms. Williams. If the landowners insist on increased price, the civic authority will have to go for land acquisition. The district administration had earlier initiated steps for the acquisition of the land, Ms. Williams said.

Landowners unmoved

At the same time, the representatives of the landowners said that they were demanding only the prevailing market price of the land. With the Smart City project coming up in the area, the price of the land had gone up considerably, said Mr. Pareeth.

According to Mr. Pareeth, the State Government had recently purchased land, which consists of paddy field and land, at near Brahmapuram Diesel Power Project at the rate of Rs.30,500 a cent.

However, the Corporation has offered Rs.6,500 for paddy field and Rs.28,600 for land, which is very low, he said.

Mr. Pareeth alleged that some interested parties in Corporation who do not want the plant to come up at Brahmapuram were sabotaging the land deal.

Even if the district administration decided to go in for land acquisition, the landowners would get a better deal as several transactions quoting high price for land and paddy fields have been registered in the area.

In some of the recent transactions, paddy fields were sold for prices ranging between Rs.48,000 and Rs.50,000 and land for Rs.1.5 lakh.

The landowners cannot sell their land at lower rates when the market value of the land has gone up, he said.

Emergency clause

Even if the land required for the Brahmapuram plant was obtained through acquisition process, there will not be much delay in obtaining the possession of the holdings, hoped Ms. Mercy Williams.

According to her, the district administration would be evoking the emergency clause of land acquisition and the maximum delay in getting the land would be one month, she said.

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