Kerala beats hasty retreat on order

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A notification issued by the revenue department in utmost secrecy on June 1  bypassing the cabinet, the Assembly and even the UDF  to regularise the encroachments of revenue lands till  2005 has been  withdrawn unconditionally.

“Considering the widespread complaints  that it might help large-scale encroachers, the government is withdrawing the notification issued on June 1,”  Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said here on Tuesday.

“The charges being raised (that it was to help large-scale encroachers in Munnar) are things that we have not thought of,” he added. 

He reasoned that the notification was issued to grant as many title deeds as possible to poor farmers in Idukki.

The notification, which came to light through the media only on August  3, had provoked a huge backlash.

Even Congress leaders, including the Idukki DCC president, expressed shock at the move. 

The notification, which amended the Kerala Land Assignment Rules 1964, states that any person occupying government lands under lease in hilly tracts (whether existing, expired or encroachments) will be granted title deed for the land if such occupation completes 10 years on June 1, 2015.

The revenue minister, in his moment of retreat, painted himself as a martyr. “The need for unconditional title deeds was raised by leaders of various community organisations in Idukki, and that too in the presence of political leaders,” Mr Prakash said.  

By ‘unconditional’ these community leaders had meant waiver of income limit and even the cut-off year.

“It was my conscience that prompted the insertion of the clause that the lands should have been in the possession of the occupier for at least 10 years,” he  said.

Mr Prakash also wondered why none of the MLAs had raised the issued on July 1, when the demand for grants for the revenue department was discussed.

“If the department had done anything wrong, they could have pointed it  out. I also did not find any question on the issue put to me by any of the MLAs,” he  said.

Congress MLA V.D. Satheesan is upset  at the minister’s innuendo. “This was not placed in front of the cabinet nor was it tabled in the Assembly. What’s more, it was not placed before the party,  the coordination committee or even  the Congress legislature party meeting,”  he  said. “How can an MLA react if he is kept in the dark,” he added.