The State committee of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) has asked the government to review its decision to make the municipal building rules applicable to panchayats as well and ensure that the rules did not prevent construction of homes by the marginal sections of the population.
Briefing reporters after the LDF panel meeting here on Wednesday, front convener Vaikom Viswan said the government had also been told to review the procedures for issuing building licences and provision of numbers for houses and ensure that all eligible persons were given title deeds for the land held by them by January end. In case there was any delay in issuing licences, they should be given documents to show possession.
Steps should be taken to ensure that those who own small pieces of land which used to be paddy fields long ago were not denied the opportunity to construct houses. The Revenue and Local Self-Government Ministers should also sit together to provide title deeds to those living on government ‘poramboke' lands across the State. The excess land with Harrison Malayalam Plantations should be taken over and distributed to the landless.
The Kannan Devan Hill land question should be resolved at the earliest so that the development of the Munnar town was expedited. The government should also take urgent steps to complete identification of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and publish the list in January.
Mr. Viswan said that another major measure that the LDF committee wanted the government to take was with regard to the shortage of sand for building construction. While strong measures should be taken to check sand-mining at the point of origin, persons who take sand or granite to their building sites from within or from outside the State should not be harassed. The Finance and Transport Ministers should put their heads together to see how the trouble-torn Kerala State Transport Corporation (KSRTC) could be saved.
The LDF committee, he said, had also decided to launch a State-wide campaign to publicise the work done by the government and its impact on the lives of the people. A meeting of representatives of all such organisations would be held in the capital and followed up with similar meetings in the districts to plan the campaign, Mr. Viswan said.
