Kerala   

Law of the land should prevail

The ever increasing growth in population and scarcity of land for are two key problems faced by the State. To make matters worse, the activities of the real estate ‘mafia’ are on the rise. Those who have indulged in land deals fix the price without bargaining on the value stated by the owners. First, they enter into an agreement on behalf of a buyer whose identity is unknown to the seller. In most cases, the deals are finalised for those working abroad. The agents of the ‘mafia’ group buy whatever land is available in the urban and rural areas. The identity of the actual buyer is mentioned only at the time of registration. The government and the authorities should take a concerted effort to check such practices, including the ‘benami’ system. Besides taking stringent steps against the ‘mafia,’ the government should use its machinery to locate ‘poramboke’ land in each district. The land thus identified could be used by the government and also distributed among the landless people belonging to the below poverty line. The ‘land bank’ as suggested by the Revenue Minister would be quite beneficial in this regard. Encroachers should be evacuated and the land recovered and protected.

V. Viswanathan Nambiar

Thrissur

The real estate ‘mafia’ with the connivance of some politicians have amassed land by offering attractive prices. The government should introduce a bill enabling it to take over the land possessed by the ‘mafia’ at the rate mentioned in the sale deeds. The government can then distribute the land among the needy at the rate acquired by it. If the present situation is allowed to continue, the common man will be unable to buy even one cent of land even if they are ready to shell out their entire savings.

V.P. Ramesan

Thripunithura

Due to the increase in the price of land and buildings, houses, showrooms, flats and apartment villas, the common man is unable to realise his dream of owning a house. The rich become richer and poor become poorer due to the financial existing in Kerala. The land owners, whose ancestral properties were sold to builders of multi-storeyed complexes and apartments, are leaving the cities and towns and residing in rural areas. However, those in the rural areas prefer moving into townships. Those belonging to the middle-income group take loans to buy land. The State and Central government staff also approach private banks to secure loans. The real estate agents buy acres of land and selling three to four cents to individuals. The make a hefty profit through the sales. The government should take steps to curb such malpractices and ensure that the common man is not affected by the sky-rocketing land prices.

P. Sankaranarayanan

Kochi

The land price in prime locations has soared in the past two years. The apartment and villa builders secure land at such locations. The deal is transacted in black money. The brokers also get a tidy cut from the deal. Eventually, the worst-hit are the poor and those from the middle-class. Unless the government initiates stringent measures such as restricting the area of land an individual can buy or own for each purpose, buying small plots to build a house would remain a distant dream.

C. George Varghese

Thrissur

Land brokers or real estate ‘mafia’ buy land at cheap rates and sell it at a high rate to buyers. The common man who aspires to build a house is unable to do so owing to the malpractices. The government should take necessary steps to arrest the price rise of lands and buildings.

S.N. Thiruvazhiode

Kochi

The scope of law to control malpractices is limited in a country like India where corruption is seen as a way of life. A law becomes strict only when it is backed stricter implementation. The public should safeguard society.

The local-self governing institutions should be strengthened and steps should be taken to ensure that any transfer of land is approved by the respective bodies. The governing bodies should fix a ground price for land and it should be revised every six months on the basis of land price in the area. This will the authorities keep a tab on the changing land price. Land ownership practices like ‘mitakshara,’ prevalent in many parts of India, is an interesting way of family control over land exchange. Under the system, from the moment of birth a child has right over family property. The land cannot be exchanged without the consent of all the family members.

Visakh R. Pillai

Alappuzha

Given the limited land available and rapid urbanisation, most people prefer to live in the urban area. Housing cannot be denied to those who seek it and can afford it. The government should to revive the housing board, which is mired in controversy, and make available affordable housing for all. If a statutory body like Kerala State Housing Board can be revived to develop areas/properties all over the State, then no one can speculate the land price or encroach upon the land.

Devraj Sambasivan

Alappuzha

Saleable land in Kerala is limited. But the money available with the land ‘mafia’ is unlimited. The following are the main sources of the wealth — black money amassed by the people by evading tax, counterfeit currency being circulated in the State and hawala money.

The State government has recently issued an order stipulating mandatory production of the buyer’s photo and identification documents at the time of registration. The government should inquire the sources of money in the urban land deals during the past five years.

P.G.N. Varma

Thiruvananthapuram

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