Kerala Resumes Excess Estate Land for medical campus

Despite all pressures from various quarters for giving compensation to the land acquired for setting up the Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences (SCTIMST ) at Wayanad, the government has ordered to resume 75 acres of land in Mananthwadi without shelling out a single paise. Earlier there was a move to pay compensation of about 20 to 25 crores for the land that was to be acquired, which the Express had exposed a few months back.

In the order, which is in possession of Express, it says that the lessee M/s Glen Leven Estate in Mananthwadi is not entitled for the value of the land as the jenmom right is vested with the government. However, it says that the lessee is entitled only for the value of improvements/structures it had done in the said land.

''The Wayanad district collector is accordingly directed to acquire 75 acres of land from M/s Glen leven estate for the establishment of the campus of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences in Wayanad,'' the order dated August 19 said.

There was much pressure on the government to giving compensation for the land. Even the Advocate General had in his legal opinion favoured compensation to the estate owners. The Express had exposed the move with the Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan taking up the issue.

The property that has to be resumed was originally leased out for 99 years in 1941 to V V Joseph and others. After that the dependents of Joseph sold the lease hold right to M/s Glen leven estate.

The decision is said to be a revolutionary one, making it clear that all lease lands are vested with the government. Moreover, the government can now resume all excess land that is now in the illegal possession. 

Source:  The Newindian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/330249/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/01-09-2014#page/4/1

 

Flouting rules, Kerala Govt allots surplus land for Society

The government has flouted land reform rules in providing surplus land to a Society in Malappuram for setting up a college at Rs 1,000 per acre per annum lease even when the value of land in the region stands at Rs four to six lakh per cent. Though the government has said that the surplus land has been provided in the name of public purpose, it is alleged to be against the existing land reform rules. 
The government in its order (G.O (M.S)No.342/2014/RD) dated August 8, 2014, says that an extent of 5 acres of land from the 7.45 acres of surplus land in Survey No.3/1 of Block No 78 in Wandoor Village has been given on lease of Rs 1,000 per acre per annum for 30 years to Indhiraji Memorial Society. 
The government is said to have neglected the recommendations of the State Land Board, which had pointed out that surplus lands should not be given to private societies even if public interest was involved in it as it would go against the spirit of KLR Act. As per the Act, if surplus land has to be used for public purpose, it should be in conformity with the main objective of the Act, which is agrarian reforms. Priority should be for providing surplus land to landless agriculture labourers, which has been flouted here. 
It has been alleged that when the value of land stood at about Rs 5 lakh per cent, the society has been granted land almost free of cost. It was also alleged that once the land is given on lease, the society will become the owners of the land in course of time, which was evident in most of the leased land cases.

Source: The New Indian Express 

http://epaper.newindianexpress.com/321393/The-New-Indian-Express-Thiruvananthapuram/15-08-2014#page/6/1