The Kerala government, which
has toughened its stand against Harrisons Malayalam Ltd (HML), has set the ball
rolling with a plan to bring in an ordinance to take back all lands in their
illegal possession. Chief Minister Oomman Chandy is learned to call an
exclusive meeting in this regard at the earliest, taking into the seriousness
of the issue .
Though the government is
learned to be in favour of an ordinance on the lines of KDH resumption, the
ruling/opposition leaders and revenue officials are of the opinion that the
ordinance should not be framed on the lines of KDH resumption. The revenue department has already prepared a
draft legislation for retrieving the land and for its distribution for
cultivation and purposes ancillary thereto under the control and management of
the government.
'Many flaws have come across
in the KDH resumption. It has to been seen that the government is now engaged
in many legal issues with the company even though the land belongs to
government. It is alleged that they possess more land and are even ruling Munnar
town. This should not happen when HML land is taken back. Everything should be under the control of the
government and history should not be repeated,'' they said.
KPCC vice president and a
member of the Green MLA group V D Satheeshan said ''it has been found that they
have indulged in forging documents and engaged in all fraudulent activities.
The government should not deter in taking back the lands. Once taken back, the
government should have a mechanism to
utilise the land as it is the government's duty.''
T N Pratapan, another member
of the `Green MLA brigade said that they will oppose any ordinance that
would help those who now illegally posses the plantations. ''The vigilance has
come across fraudulent documents in their possession. We cannot think of an ordinance
on the lines of KDH. How can the persons who had exploited the state again
given the Plantations?,'' he said. The
plantations should be brought under some cooperative society in which the employees
of the plantation have some role, Pratapan said. ''If an ordinance is brought
to help those who now possess it will be taken up in the party as well as the
UDF,'' he said.
Source: The New Indian Express
