THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been six months since Samkutty, aggrieved by delays in issuing the mutation certificate, set Vellarada Panchayat office ablaze. Still, Neyyatinkara taluk office accepts complaints that are not solved in panchayats including Vellarada and now they have just one surveyor to help solve around 4,000 land-related complaints. Until recently, seven surveyors were here on a working arrangement basis from the Survey department. They were transferred when the new government took over but no replacements were made. The irony is that all of them were from nearby areas and were transferred mostly to Northern districts.
Now the Additional Tehsildar office has to face an angry public. “Several boundary disputes mostly involving relatives are pending before us. Some possess really archaic document of land which has been divided among many people in the recent past. Apart from land mutation issues, many are unable to pay tax after the recent resurvey. The problem is worse as we have no staff.” said a highly placed official.
CPI Assembly committee leader Ayyappan Nair who raised the issue in the recent Taluk development council meeting said, “Our party office is near the taluk office. People randomly walk into our office with their disputes and cry foul though we have no powers to help him. We appeal for the appointment of staff urgently," Mr Nair said. “Piling up of cases happens because relatives, mostly siblings, are not ready to settle matters amicably. We have cases that are pending since 1980s in Neyyatinkara,” official added. Most of the complainants throng the office on Wednesdays as the lone surveyor is available that day.
