Idukki District Collector Ashok Kumar Singh on Saturday served notice under the Civil Procedure Code (CPC) on Kanan Devan Hills Plantation (KDHP) company to produce for verification the original nine litho sheets handed over by the Devikulam Tahsildar on June 6, 1978 regarding the Viripara estate in Mankulam, before 4 p.m. on Monday. Failure to do so would entail action under the CPC, the notice said.
In the notices served on June 2, August 2 and August 27, the District Collector, under the provisions of Section 12 of the Kanan Devan Hills (Resumption of Land Act) 1971, had asked the company to produce the survey number and other documents, including the original coloured litho sheets to prove the rights over the estate.
The company, through its representatives on Friday, produced the photocopies of documents, which included the copy of the litho sheet issued by the Devikulam Tahsildar in 1978 allowing the company the right to hold the Viripara estate.
As it was asked to produce the original document, the Collector had issued an ultimatum to the company to produce the original litho sheets, the document of assigning the rights over the government land, before 12 noon on Saturday. The company in a fax message on Saturday said that it was “unable” to produce the original document as required by the Collector.
The company took the stand that the proof of the original documents were also available at the Revenue Offices and it had produced the photocopies as required by the Collector.
The ownership of the nearly 1,000-acre Viripara estate was an issue of controversy and a Union government team had visited the area to assess whether the company had encroached upon government land.
