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Sunday, Sep 23, 2007
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Land for the landless in 4 years: Chief Minister

Staff Reporter

Possession certificates given to 1,717 Adivasi families

Gesture to tribals: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan inaugurating the assignment of farm land to 1,717 landless Adivasi families at Aralam in Kannur on Saturday.

KANNUR: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said that all landless people in the State will be assigned land and provided houses in four years. The government is committed to recovering alienated land across the State to be distributed among landless families, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Inaugurating the distribution of possession certificates to 1,717 Adivasi families of land assigned to them in the Aralam farm here on Saturday, Mr. Achuthanandan said that landless Adivasis in the State would be provided land and houses. The State was estimated to have 25,482 landless Adivasi families and 32,000 Adivasi families possessing land less than one acre.

Muthanga stir recalled

Recalling the struggle of the Adivasis for land and the police action against them at Muthanga in Wayanad, the Chief Minister said the family of Jogi who had died in the police action would be protected by the government. As many as 10,000 houses would be constructed for the Adivasis, he said adding that a comprehensive rehabilitation programme would be formulated to ensure employment and health-care facilities for them. The government had already decided to bear treatment expenses of Adivasi patients, he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that efforts would be undertaken to renovate Adivasi colonies. Local bodies and non-governmental organisations should work to equip Adivasi students to secure seats in higher education institutions. At present seats reserved for them were being left vacant owing to shortage of Adivasi students.

The Chief Minister said the government was waging a battle against the ‘real estate mafia’ .

Be vigilant, tribals told

Calling on the Adivasis who were assigned land at the Aralam farm to be vigilant against any move to alienate their land, he said the government could not distribute land to the landless unless it recovered land from those who were illegally possessing it.

The Chief Minister said the Central government had been approached to get approval for providing more areas of forest land for the rehabilitation of the landless Adivasis.

He said action would be taken against those responsible for helping plantation owners to own large extent of land that should have been vested in the government. Minister for Electricity and Welfare of Scheduled and Backward Communities A.K. Balan presided over the function. He said that half of the Aralam farm land would be converted into a company to make value-added agriculture products. A part of the profit from the company would be used for the welfare of the Adivasis settled in the farm, he said.

Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran, who attended the function, said Rs.32.45 lakh would be given for construction of 11 roads to the farm.

Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Health Minister P.K. Sreemathy were among those present at the function.

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