The Hindu : Front Page : Attappady land scam: no action yet

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 02, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Attappady land scam: no action yet

G. Prabhakaran

District Collector relieved of additional charge of AHADS director

PALAKKAD: The State government's decision to divest District Collector K.V. Mohan Kumar of the additional charge of director of the Attappady Hill Areas Development Society (AHADS) has sent wrong signals on the action recommended against certain multinational windmill companies that allegedly usurped tribal land in Attappady. The recommendations were made by a high-power committee headed by the Chief Secretary.

The District Collector was relieved of the charge of AHADS director on the polling day of the local body elections here on October 25. However, the Collector told The Hindu on Monday that he had not received any intimation about his removal from AHADS. But the order issued by the General Administration Department (Special -A) on October 25 reached the AHADS office the same day. The one-line order said “K.V. Mohan Kumar, IAS, District Collector, is relieved of his additional charge of AHADS with immediate effect.”

The Collector, after taking charge as Director on October 1, 2010, had recommended the removal of four officials of AHADS who were found to be involved in the tribal land scam. But only two junior-level officials were suspended, sparing the senior officials. These senior officials may now be posted as coordinator and deputy director of the Rs.1,200-crore Wayanad project of AHADS. Their names were recommended by AHADS for the posts earlier and are pending decision with the government.

The high-power committee had recommended survey of the land in the four villages of Attappady.

Land records

It had also recommended the examination of all land transaction records at the Agali sub-registrar office during the last couple of years to detect the companies and individuals who had bought tribal land in violation of law. Though the committee report was submitted last month, no action has been taken on it so far.

The report is learnt to have said that there was large-scale transaction of tribal land in violation of the law in Attappady Hills and the windmill companies had bought and encroached upon tribal land in Sholayur and Kottathara villages.

In Survey No.1275 in Sholayur village, 150 acres of land that was with the tribals for the last 40 years was either bought or encroached upon by the companies who have put up 12 windmills. The report of the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) officer to the government also said that this land belonged to 36 tribes and they were paying tax for it. Sources said the removal of the Collector as director of AHADS may be an attempt to protect the multinational companies.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page