THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finding that large swathes of industrial lands in the state are left unutilised or diverted for non-industrial purposes, the Industries Department has now insisted that certain conditions should be satisfied before a plot is identified for industrial development. One, the land should not be in an ecologically sensitive area. Two, it should be close to national or state highways. Three, it should be the kind of land that development agencies could acquire with least public resistance. Four, only those plots where at least 80 per cent of the land can be allotted within three years of development should be taken up for acquisition. Over the years, agencies like KSIDC, KINFRA and Kerala State IT Infrastructure Limited had acquired 5,003.78 acres of private land under Land Acquisition Act, 1894 at a cost of Rs 763.74 crore.
“Acquiring agriculture land for industrial activities has led to a drastic fall in cultivable land. The landed lot found it convenient to divert loss-making agricultural lands for commercial purposes,” a top industries department source said. “There was wasteful expenditure on acquisition and purchase of land, but more than half the land is left unutilised,” the source said. Of the 5,003.78 acres acquired for industrial purposes, 2,290 acres (just 45 per cent) were allotted to 558 persons and the balance is yet to be allotted. Even though the allotments were at throw away prices, 41 persons did not utilise the allotted land measuring 180.57 acres defeating the very objective of setting up of industrial units.
It has also been found that ownership of lands allotted for industrial purposes in the state is being transferred without the mandatory clearance from the Department of Indust-ries and Commerce. Nearly 80 such commercial deals of industrial lands, together making up over 50 acres, have come to the notice of the Department of Indu-stries and Commerce. As part of streamlining the acquisition process, an Industrial Site Section Committee, with the general manager of Directorate of Industries and Commerce as the chairman, will be formed in each district to identify lands for industrial use. The Committee will have as its members representatives of KINFRA, KSIDC, and SIDCO. The DISSC will assess the feasibility of acqui-ring any new plot for industrial purpose and forward the feasibility report to the Industries Department. Cases found suitable would be handed over to the Revenue Department for further action.
