Padmanabhapuram palace

Padmanabhapuram palace, a set on Flickr.

Land Force in All Districts

The Public Land Protection Force (PLPF), which has been designed for evicting encroachments on public lands, is being expanded to all the districts in Kerala. 

The PLPF, which is now deployed only in Idukki district, is being extended to the other districts after it was found to be effective in tackling encroachments on public lands.

The Protection Force has been formed to act as supporting staff of the District Collector in physically evicting the encroachments on call, act as surveillance staff of Government lands as a routine affair and to act as a deterrent force against encroachments on public lands. 

The PLPF has been given many powers. On detection of fresh encroachments the member of PLPF can physically remove the same after informing the same to the Platoon Head. On detection of encroachments which are non-removable, a case should be registered against the encroacher at the local police station under the Kerala Land Conservancy (Amendment ) 2009.

Source: The New Indian Express ..... http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/177850/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/28-10-2013#page/5/1

Vigilance initiates criminal case against revenue officials and a Plantation Major

The Vigilance that had unearthed documents and survey maps with Plantation Majors – Harrisons Malayalam Ltd – as fabricated, has taken a lead in initiating criminal cases against those involved in forging the documents, including the company and revenue officials.

In the vigilance report submitted by DYSP Nandanam Pillai, it is learned that he had recommended registering cases against company officials and the registrars who were involved in the alleged forgery of document 1600/1923. The report is said to have recommended further investigation into the role of the revenue officials and to take appropriate action against them.

Nandanam Pillai who probed the authenticity of document 1600/1923, which comprised of about 26,000 acres of land registered at the Kollam Principal Registration office, found that the documents and survey maps with the company are all fabricated and have been made outside the country, especially England. They had found that the document registered in 1923 was prepared in high quality paper with John Dickinson and company water mark, which was not in use then. Moreover, the conch insignia of the Travancore royal family embossed in the paper did not tally with the insignia of that time, which was egg shaped. A marked difference between the lithographic maps submitted by the company and the government was also found.

Source: The New Indian Express .....read more here....http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/176687/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/25-10-2013#page/5/1

Govt to look into alleged financial frauds of Plantation

After the state government taking the lead in retrieving the lands in the illegal possession of plantation Majors – Harrisons Malayalam Ltd, the government is all set to initiate a probe into the alleged fraudulent financial dealings of the company, including tax evasion and diversion of funds.

The government is for constituting a committee comprising of legal and financial experts to look into the alleged financial frauds of the company. Diversion of funds, tax evasion, selling of land, accounting of money, loans availed from banks and tea subsidies will all come under the purview of the probe.

The government has already initiated action with respect to taking back the illegally held lands. Special Officer appointed for retrieving the lands M G Rajamanickam had already inspected the estates under the Company in Kollam district in the first week of this month. The other estates would also come under the scanner in the coming months.

Source: The new Indian express .......http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/175779/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/23-10-2013#page/4/1

Golf Academy: Sports Authority visits Golf Course at trivandrum

The Sports Authority of India (SAI), which plans to set up a Golf Academy in the state, visited the Trivandrum Golf Course and conducted a feasibility study of the course. Golf Management expert Liam Timms led the SAI team , that inspected the course.
''It was just a preliminary survey. He had come here to study the course and the possibility of setting up the academy,'' Sports Authority of India, Kerala region, director G Kishore told Express.
He said that they would also do a preliminary survey of the technical prerequisites and parameters required for setting up the academy. ''Timms even had a game at the Trivandrum Course,'' Kishore said. The expert will submit the report to SAI.

Source: New Indian Express........ http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/175779/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/23-10-2013#page/17/1

Tribals apprehensive of Zero Landless Project

Even as the government moves ahaed with the Zero Landless Project that provides three cents of land to the landless, the Tribals in the state are apprehensive over the promised land to them by the government.

The Adivasis feel that the Zero Landless project will only sabotage the real issue of landless population in the state. They said that it will only undermine the Kerala Land Reforms Act, Adivasi Agreement of 2001, Chengara Agreement of 2009, Supreme Court verdict of providing one acre land and the Draft National Land Reforms Policy (2013). They alleged that the government by extending the zero landless project to the tribals is only deviating from their promise of five acres of land to the tribal families.

The tribal leaders point out that most of the lands earmarked in Idukki, Kannur and Wayanad for the adivasis were taken over by the government for setting up various projects.

Alleging that the government was only having a negative approach towards the Tribals, Adivasi Gothra Sabha leader M Geethanandan said that the government has scant regard for the various agreements. ''The Chengara package and Supreme court verdict are all still in papers,'' he said.

Source: The New Indian Express

readmore:

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/174154/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/19-10-2013#page/1/1

Compensation to Plantation; opposition leader raises concern

Kerala Opposition Leader V S Achuthanadan calls for canceling the move to provide compensation illegally to a plantation owner for the land to be acquired for setting up a centre of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Wayanad. 
Pursuing the case in earnest , he also sent a letter to Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash urging him to interfere in the matter at the earliest. He said that the move to give compensation for the government land was illegal and would lead to corruption.

In the letter quoting the news from Express, he said ''it is learned that the government proposes to acquire 75 acres of land from Glen leven estate and to give a compensation of Rs 25 crore. This land has been declared as excess land by the Taluk land Board and is entrusted to the government. However, the government is moving ahead for giving compensation to Glen Leven company citing technical reason that the land has not been taken from them.'' As the land has been declared 'excess land', there was no impediment in acquiring the land and giving it to the Institute, he added.

Achuthanandan also mentions in the letter that the opinion given by the Special government pleader (revenue) against giving compensation was not taken into account by certain revenue officials concerned. They then approached the Advocate general who had given a legal opinion that compensation could be given, he said and alleged that certain revenue officials and the AG were hand in glove.

Source: the New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/174154/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/19-10-2013#page/5/1

Land for Sree Chitra Institute caught in compensation issue

The proposal to set up a centre of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Wayanad has met with a roadblock with the Revenue Department coming out against the move to grant compensation to the owners of the Glen Leven Estate citing that it was actually government land.
The 75 acres of land to be acquired that comes under exempted category is controlled land for which the revenue department says that no compensation need to be given. It is learned that a compensation of about 20 to 25 crores is proposed to be given to the land owners. ''There is no need to give compensation to exempted land when it is acquired,'' highly places sources said.

The report of the Revenue Divisional Office, Manandavadi dated November 30, 2012, says that an extent of 64.93 acres belonging to Glen Level estates is declared as excess land by the Taluk Land Board. Once declared as excess land, it has to be surrendered to the government free of cost. There is no provision to give compensation to excess land under the land acquisition Act, they said.

source: the newindian express

read more: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/170041/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/09-10-2013#page/4/1 

Kerala Govt prohibits tree felling in HML Land

The Kerala government that has initiated resumption of land in the illegal possession of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd (HML), has directed the officials not to allow cutting of trees or grant possession certificates for the holdings of the Company. The Special Officer, appointed as per the directive of the High Court to resume the land from HML, issued the directions to all the village and Taluk officers.

In the direction, the officials have been asked not to allow any change in the tenure of the land, such as leasing, ownership change or otherwise. The transfer of lands should also be not allowed, the directive specifies.

The officials in the village and Taluk offices have been instructed to report all illegal actions on the part of the HML to the Special officer, highly placed officials said. ''Any action that is against the proceedings should be intimated to the Special Officer by the concerned officers, including the Forest officials,'' the sources said. They also said that the company should get prior permission of the Special Officer with regard to any issues related to the plantations.

 Source: New Indian Express

Read more here: http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/167442/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/03-10-2013#page/3/1

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/1767614

Aranmula Airfield: Kerala Govt says promoters have right for exemption

Even though strong protest is brewing among social , political and environment groups against the proposed private airport project at Aranmula, the government has intimated the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest stating that the KGS Group, promotoers of the airfield, has a right to claim exemption under the Kerala Land Reforms Act.

In the letter sent to the union ministry of Environment and forests , Principal secretary, Department of Environment Pradeep Kumar has said that the proponent has a right to claim exemption under the Kerala Land Reforms Act on the basis of Government order dated September 2010, which was issued while granting' in principle approval' for the said Green Field project. However, this is against the Cabinet's decision that land will be acquired only under the existing rules.

Kozhencherry Taluk Land Board had a few months ago declared 232 acres of land at Aranmula that forms part of the proposed airport site as excess land, and directed the Revenue officials concerned to take possession of the excess land, invoking the relevant provisions in the Kerala Land Reforms Act.

The Environment secretary states that no permission will be issued for filling the land except filing required for airside activities. The government land will be transferred to the promoter at market price as per established procedure. 

source and for more : http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/State-government-letter-on-airport-project-kicks-up-a-row/2013/10/08/article1825103.ece 

Regional drug testing lab facing uncertain future

The first regional drugs testing laboratory in Ernakulam, which was set to be launched this year seems to be facing an uncertain future with the delay in creating posts and a section of the employees allegedly scuttling the project for fear of transfers.
Though the building work for the laboratory has been completed and the necessary equipment installed by and large, the issue of sanctioning of posts has led to the delay of the launch, State Drugs Controller P Hariprasad said.
The file is now pending in the Chief Minister’s office and once it is cleared, there will be no further delay, he said.
Though the Drugs Control Department had recommended 79 posts for the regional drug testing laboratory, the Finance Department had sanctioned only 30 posts. However, the number of posts was further cut down to 26 allegedly after a section of the employees approached the government. The government seems to have decided to stick to 30 posts. Sources said that a few employees in the Drug Testing Laboratory at Thiruvananthapuram by using political clout had delayed the sanctioning of the posts for fear of getting transferred.
Once the regional lab is set up in Ernakulam, promotions can happen and some of those working at the Thiruvananthapuram lab would be shifted. Moreover, there is also an issue with respect to the post of Chief Analyst after the Drugs Department had recommended such a post at Ernakulam also.
Apart from the lab at Ernakulam, the fate of other regional drugs testing laboratories at Thrissur and Kozhikode is also uncertain. Though the government claims that the works have progressed, lack of sufficient funds is said to be causing problems.
The regional drug testing laboratories were envisaged after it was found that the lone laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram could not handle the bulk samples from across the state. Though about 5000 samples are collected a month from the market for conducting tests, the laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram has the facility to check only a limited number.
Moreover, there is also a backlog of three to six months in announcing the test results.

Source: The New Indian Express

http://newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Drug-testing-lab-in-Ernakulam-facing-uncertain-future/2013/10/07/article1822569.ece