Uprighht Survey officials find the going tough

Despite attempts to bring in transparency in the survey department, many of the senior officials, including additional director who is second in command and who had taken severe steps against corrupt officials is being made a scapegoat under political pressure.

With pressure mounting from the various unions against some of the officials, especially additional director E R Sobhana, the revenue department is known to have decided to give the charge of the additional director to a joint director. It is alleged that the decision has been taken without looking into the complaints that have been raised against the additional director but only on certain political pressure. Apart from this, the sources said that the move was also alleged to scuttle the survey inspection of Karuna estate. Sobhana has been given the charge of the survey of the estate after the government constituted a team to trace the excess and illegally possessed land with the Karuna Estate at Nelliyampathy.

Moreover, sources said that the official who is now being given the charge had been involved in many controversies. The survey vigilance unit had earlier recommended for suspending and even demoting this official who is now being handed over the charge. As many as five cases are also pending with the survey vigilance unit against the official, highly placed sources said.

It is known that the Chief Minister had written in a file that was forwarded to the revenue department for taking necessary action on the complaint. This was also confirmed by Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash, who earlier said that the CM had asked to take necessary decision on the complaint that has been raised against the additional director. However, he did not divulge more on the issue.

As part of streamlining the survey department, the additional director had transferred certain people who were siting idle for years at the directorate to other offices, which is alleged to have led certain union leaders to come forward against the additional director.

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/459838/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/17-03-2015#page/5/1

Wayanad MC: doubts raised over land taken from Trust

The decision to take over 50 acres of land offered by a Trust for the proposed Wayanad Medical College has raised serious concern among the revenue officials who allege that it would only lead to diluting the Kerala Land Reforms Act and the Kerala Land Assignment Act. The decision is learned to have been taken in a haste without looking into the legal aspects and also defying the Land Board and Revenue department's contention that it will only create a precedence for regularisiing illegal lands held by encroachers.

Though the cabinet decided last week to take over the 50 acres of land from the 150 acres that the Trust possessed, highly placed officials fear that the decision was a move to regularise its remaining land. Though the land is being taken back, the government has not taken any decision with respect to the remaining land, which the Land Board has already stated that if a part of the land is utilised for any other purpose than for which it is exempted, then the exemption will be lost and the land will be vested with the government.

The Land Board and the revenue department had from the beginning noted that the whole land belonged to the government and no regularisation can be given. They found that the Trust had got ‘’purchase certificate’’ for the land that is only given for cultivating tenants as per the Kerala Land reforms Act. As per the land reforms Act, purchase certificate is issued only to natural Human beings and not to companies or trusts. As such the Land Board had informed that the whole land belonged to the Government.

With respect to the remaining land in possession of the trust, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said that a decision can be taken only after looking all legal aspects. When pointed out that the Land Board has raised objections, he said ''the trust claims to have all documents. On the remaining land, the government will have to look into all the legal issues related to it.''

Source: The Newindianexpress

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/425278/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/26-01-2015#page/5/1

Revenue Adalats sitting on files to inflate plaint figures

In an effort to come out with inflated figures of complaint redressal in the revenue adalat scheduled for every district, revenue officials are allegedly asked to sit on files which have already been positively considered and redressed. It is alleged that instructions have been given to all the revenue offices across the state not to issue pattayams (title deeds) or provide relief measures to those whose applications/complaints have been cleared but only to disburse them at the forthcoming adalats.

The government has decided to conduct revenue adalats in all the 14 districts to sort out various complaints , including issues related to resurvey, pattayam, relief measures under National Family Benefit Scheme and Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund. Most of the complaints that have been settled are alleged to be kept in abeyance for its distribution only in the adalatas for ensuring more participation. 

Alleging that the officials in each district have been asked to make sure of about 20,000 to 25,000 participation  in the adalats,  Kerala Revenue Department Staff Association (KRDSA) president K Sreekantan Nair said ''directions have been issued during the various meetings convened by the district collector and other officials not to proceed on any of the applications which has been settled. But was asked to proceed them only at the adalats.'' The government was only conducting adalats as a forum to blow things out of proportion, he said and added that all the issues that come up in the adalats are normally dealt at the revenue offices itself.  

''There are instances where the files are delayed for years.  The adalats should focus on clearing these long pending files and applications and not for redressing the issues on which action has already been completed. It is absurd on the government to conduct such adalats,'' Nair said. 

Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said that there were some people who were out for scuttling a major event.  Stating that the adalat will give more focus on complaints that have been pending for a long time, he said that instructions  have been issued to settle all the issues except that is entangled in court cases. ''The adalat is being conducted for getting results. It has been directed that the applications received after the announcement of the adalat should be cleared at the event itself. We hope that a majority of the complaints and applications will be disposed off at the adalat,' he said.   

Source: The New Indian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/400765/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/22-12-2014#page/6/1

Kerala stern on encroachers; to take back all lands in illegal possession of HML

At last the Kerala government has taken a stern step against encroachers in the state, especially with the Special Officer for Land Resumption M G Rajamanickam serving notice to Harrisons Malayalam Ltd to vacate 29,185 acres of land spread over Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts. Apart from this, the government is also for recovering the other stretches of lands, illegally held by the company in the different parts of the state.

It is estimated that HML are in the illegal possession of about 60,000 acres of land. Though several probes have concluded that the HML was in the possession of lands that belonged to the government, no government had taken a firm step against the company until the High Court ruled that that the state government was vested with necessary powers under Kerala Conservancy Act to retrieve the land.

Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said that all the lands that are to be taken back are government land and the company had fabricated documents. He made it clear that the special officer was appointed based on a High Court order. Before serving the eviction notice, the special office had inspected all the four districts and verified the documents.

The Minister also said that the company had sold 8,147 acres in the four districts from where the company has been asked to vacate. He also said that the company was misleading the people by placing advertisements, which amount to contempt of court. The advertisements have been given by HML Vice president (Legal) V Venugopal, against whom the vigilance had recommended a case after a preliminary inquiry found evidence of forgery of documents and survey maps with the Plantation Majors.

Digitalisation of Land: A long road ahead for State

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Government is preparing for online mutation (pokkuvaravu) across the state, the officials in the village, taluk and other revenue offices are quite apprehensive about its implementation as there is a dearth of qualified staff who can handle the documents online. Moreover, doubts have also been raised if online mutation would be fool proof.

Now being implemented in Palakkad district, the government says that it is being smoothly implemented in the district and no complaints have been raised till now. However, those who are apprehensive said that though Palakkad is claimed to be a success, the government was yet to prove it. They also pointed out the possibility of technical error when registration of documents are made online.

Stating that there was nothing to worry when online mutation was introduced, Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said that the online facility that was introduced in Palakkad district was functioning in a smooth manner. However, he pointed out that once the resurvey was completed, everything would be streamlined. ''Once the online mutation comes into force, there will not be any complaints with regard to land transactions,'' he said.

Once online mutation is completely introduced across the state, the government thinks of monitoring all land transactions and hopes that all suspicious land transactions in sensitive areas could be curbed. A document registered in one place can be checked at any place, which helps in checking bogus transactions.

However, the employees in the revenue department and the document writers forum have raised concern with regard to online mutation. Kerala Document Writers, Scribes and Stamp vendors Welfare Board member Mannoorkonam Sathyan said that there was not enough qualified staff in the revenue offices who can handle the documents online. Once the online mutation comes into effect, there are chances of more delay and extra financial burden on the part of the people, he said. Pointing out that around 50,000 document and scribe writers were in the state, he expressed his fear that the proposed reforms in the registration department will render them jobless and adversely affect their livelihood. However, he said that once all the offices are brought under the system, there would be more transparency.

Resurvey Proceedings: Govt to Probe Discrepancies

The #government has decided to probe into all the discrepancies cropped up in the inquiry conducted by the #Survey Regional Joint Director (Northern Region), who had undergone suspension many times, with respect to the re-survey proceedings in #Thrissur #district. The investigation by the #revenue #department will look into if the report had been prepared by suppressing the actual facts and merely targetted at some officials.

Stating that several complaints have been raised against the report of the Regional Joint Director (RJD), Revenue Minister #Adoor #Prakash said that an official in the Revenue department will probe all the discrepancies. He also said that the investigation would also look into all aspects of the report.

The Express had earlier reported that the inquiry report of the #RJD was not based on any relevant facts and was targetted at #Survey #Additional #Director E R #Sobhana, who had taken several steps against corrupt officials.

When asked if the probe will look into reports that a top official pending inquiry in the #Kadakampally #Land #scam had purposefully endorsed the name of RJD K Surendran for the investigation, Prakash said that everything will come under the purview of the investigation. There were allegations that when a complaint received by the Chief Minister's office was forwarded to the Survey Directorate, it was handled by Section A that only dealt with transfers and leave. Even though a a clerk in that Section had noted in the file that the letter should be forwarded to the Vigilance section, it is alleged that the official mentioned earlier had recommended Surendran's name even without looking into his past history. 

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.dinamani.com/310720/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/26-07-2014#page/4/1

Panel to probe financial dealings of HML

After taking up with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Enforcement Directorate and other Central Financial institutions with regard to the alleged financial fraud of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd, the state government has initiated a Financial Implication Committee to look into all the financial aspects of the company.

Revenue minister Adoor Prakash said that the government was taking very strong steps in getting back all the lands in their illegal possession. A committee has been initiated for looking into all the financial aspects of the company,'he said. 

Stating that the government will not deter from taking back all lands from illegal encroachers in the state, he said that the revenue secretary had held discussions with regard to the constitution of the committee.

It is learned that the Financial Implications Committee will be headed by Additional Chief Secretary K M Abraham. Revenue Secretary Sathyajeeth Rajan and officials from the revenue are in the team. The Financial Implication Committee will be looking into all the financial dealings of the company. It would include the production that the company gets fdrom one unit area of land and also the profit that the company had made from 1950.

source: The New Indian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/265185/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/30-04-2014#page/5/1

Hidden Agenda Behind HML meet

A time when the government has served a showcause notice on Harrisons Malayalam Ltd for retrieving about 20,000 acres of land in their illegal possession and Vigilance filing criminal cases against company officials for forging documents, the revenue secretary has convened a joint meeting of the company representatives and the vigilance team, which is alleged to backtrack the government's entire initiative. 

The meeting has been convened, flouting the rules as the government was hearing the views of the persons against whom a criminal case was in vogue, highly placed sources said. The company representatives have been called for a meeting in the presence of the Vigilance that had registered an FIR against them, which only aggravated the situation, they said and raised doubts if it was not an attempt to scuttle the vigilance inquiry against the company and its officials. Moreover, the officials who were directly involved and who were aware of the entire issue were not called for at the meeting, they added.

In a major development, the government has served a showcase notice on the HML with 

respect to retrieving about 20,000 acres of land in their illegal possession. Special officer M G Rajamanickam who probed the irregularities with regard to HML land in four districts – 

Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Kottayam and Idukki – served the notice under rule 9, section 12 of 

the KLC Act, giving the company authorities one month's time to reply. 

The notice was served after the special team constituted under Rajamanickam completed the inspection of the 25630.94 acres of land that comes under the 1600/1923 document. The special team was appointed based on the High Court judgement, which had permitted the government to reclaim the land which is allegedly in their illegal possession by implementing provisions of the Land Conservancy Act.

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/218450/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/24-01-2014#page/4/1

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/c/2267891

Plantation Major's threat of Lay off not to deter Kerala Govt from taking back lands in illegal possession

Irrespective of a threat of a lay-off and close down of the estates, the Kerala Government, which has embarked on retrieving land in the illegal possession of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd, is not for succumbing to the pressure tactics. It has decided to go ahead to initiate action under the provisions of the Kerala Land Conservancy Act. 

The Plantations Majors had sent letters to the State Labour department stating that it would be difficult to go ahead with the functioning of its estates. However, the government sees this only as a pressure tactics of the company in the wake of actions being initiated against it.

State Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash has said that the Government will not succumb to the pressure tactics and would go ahead with taking back lands in their illegal possession. 

The company had been adopting pressure tactics from the day the government initiated steps against them. 

Source: The New Indian Express

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/183266/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/11-11-2013#page/6/1