The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Amendment to land reforms Act sought

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Amendment to land reforms Act sought

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leaders of a group of Backward Classes organisations led by the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha have demanded the government to amend the Kerala Land Reforms Act to provide five acres of land to the Dalits and the landless in the State.

Sabha leaders C.K. Janu and M. Geethanandan told reporters here on Friday that time was up to change the concept of giving three to five cents of land for the landless. The package worked out following the tribal agitation at Muthanga in 2001 should be extended to the landless in the State. They described as baseless the allegation that the Dalits and plantation labourers who occupied the Kumbazha Estate at Chengara in Pathanamthitta had land elsewhere.

The government claim that there was not enough land in the State for distribution among the landless had been disproved. Those dwelling in the 20,000 colonies in the State were facing serious problems due to lack of space. The extent of land in the possession of companies such as Tata and Harrisons as well as the real estate dealers had been exposed. The Revenue Secretary’s report had details of the land being occupied by Harrisons. The government had announced that it would evict encroachers and pool 60,000 acres in the land bank. A sum of Rs.5 crore had been allocated in the budget for the formation of the land bank.

The government should fix the limit for plantations and give the surplus land to the plantation workers and the landless for agriculture purposes. They warned the government against evicting those who had occupied the estate in Chengara.

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