Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Note kicks off a debate

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Left party leaders have reacted strongly to reports about a controversial note submitted to the State government by Principal Secretary for Industries T. Balakrishnan suggesting that the Kerala Land Reforms Act be repealed taking into account the changed circumstances. Kerala is a pioneer in the country in introducing comprehensive land reform measures.

“Till at least one Communist is left in this Ministry, the government will go ahead with [its efforts to strengthen] land reforms,” said Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan when journalists on Thursday put to him the question.

CPI State secretary Veliyam Bhargavan and RSP State secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan too reacted strongly to the official’s note of September 22. Mathrubhumi, the leading Malayalam daily, reported its contents on Wednesday.

The argument put forward by the senior Indian Administrative Service officer was that land reforms, having served its purpose, were no longer relevant in

Kerala. On the contrary, the law was standing in the way of industrial development in the State, according to him.

Industries Minister Elamaram Karim has already disassociated himself from this stance.

The officer on Thursday said he had only given his personal views on the subject so that there could be a debate. Clearly he had not expected such a vehement reaction to his proposal to “initiate wide discussions to mould public opinion in favour of repealing the [Kerala Land Reforms] Act.”

The RSP State secretary went so far as to urge the Chief Minister to “boot out such officials.”

Briefly, the argument put forward by Mr. Balakrishnan in his four-page note was on these lines: Times have changed. The tillers of the land gained rights over the land through land reforms, which evolved through the late 1950s and 1960s and into the first half of the 1970s. The law ended the system of tenancy. Land in excess of 15 acres (six hectares) with the landlords of those days were taken over by the government and distributed to the landless. This has made social equity of a kind not witnessed anywhere else in the country a reality in Kerala. Now the State has to move on. Its economy is growing. New industries, IT complexes, housing estates, commercial centres and entertainment complexes require large extents of land. The 15-acre limit in land holding set by the Land Reforms Act is a major discouragement for investors. They cannot legally hold sufficient land for their ventures.

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