Kerala - Palakkad   

New law to take over surplus land

Staff Reporter

26,500 cases pending in courts

PALAKKAD: Minister for Revenue K.P. Rajendran said here on Saturday that the State Government was "considering to bring in a new law as a follow-up of the Kerala Land Reforms Act to take back the remaining 70,000 acres declared as surplus land under it earlier."

Addressing a press conference, the Minister said the surplus land was not taken over by the Government, as 26,500 cases on this matter were pending in courts.

The land tribunals constituted for it were dismantled, and in most cases the old records were not available. Hence, the Government lost most of the cases on surplus land. To overcome this situation, the Government was considering to bring in a new law to get the huge area declared as surplus land under the Land Reforms Act, he said.

He said all surplus land in the State should be taken over by the Government to implement its declared policy of providing land to all landless people in the State within a period of two to three years.

He said title deeds would be given to 25,000 people in the first phase by March 10, 2007. Already 18,000 title deeds had been given to people in the `pattaya mela' held in seven districts. The Government would complete the distribution of available surplus land before the 50th anniversary of the first Communist government in Kerala on April 1, 2007, he said.

The State-level distribution of land to 22,000 landless tribal families will be inaugurated at Attappady in May. He said 4,000 tribal families would be given 1 acre land each by this March. Already 10,500 tribal families living in the forests have been given possession certificates. Stern action would be taken against illegal land transactions by the `land mafia.' Action will be taken under the Criminal Procedure Act against Revenue officials who were found to assist the `land mafia.

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New law to take over surplus land

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