Another agitation is brewing in the district with people in hundreds organising a dharna in front of the Ayyappancoil village office near Kattappana on Tuesday demanding title deeds for farmers of the Ten Chain area.
A rally was earlier taken out from Mattukatta town to the village office under the auspices of a joint action council raising the demand.
Though the government decided to issue title deeds to farmers in areas such as Perinjamkutty, where a proposed hydroelectric project had been abandoned, a decision is pending on the Ten Chain area, under the reservoir area of the Idukki dam.
The Ten Chain area was measured and identified to be evicted under the Idukki dam project. The area was also slated for acquisition as the dam faced silting from farm activities.
Some residents were given alternative land and compensation at that time. However, the government decided against rehabilitation after the Itty Darvin committee decided that the area would not be affected even if the waters rose to the maximum level.
“For nearly 10 years after the commissioning of the Idukki dam we were kept in the dark over the acquisition and could not do farming there,” said Joseph Mannancheriyil, who lives there.
The KSEB decided against land acquisition considering the huge payout as compensation. “Only few people were rehabilitated and others were living there for three generations without title deeds,” said K.J. Kuttiyachan, former president, Ayyappancoil grama panchayat.
“After the area was handed over to the Revenue Department, promises were made for issuing title deeds. However, the promises had remained on paper,” he said.
The Ten Chain area comes under Ayyappancoil, Upputhara, Kanchatayar, and Erattayar grama panchayats in addition to those in the other small hydroelectric project areas. A survey during the previous UDF rule to get details of the residents had remained incomplete, he said.
There are schools, offices, and other institutions in the Ten Chain area as it comprised one of the earliest settlements in the district.
Farmers were rehabilitated by the government under the Grow More Food Scheme in the villages of Upputhara and Ayyapancoil to increase farm production in the wake of food scarcity after the Second World War.
The Ten Chain area was occupied prior to 1977 and there was no justification in denying title deeds to the farmers there, Mr. Joseph said.
Under consideration
When contacted, Revenue Minister E.Chandrasekharan told The Hindu that issuing title deeds to the farmers of Ten Chain was under the consideration of the government. It was an issue discussed at a recent all-party meeting. The government has looking at legal and other issues and a decision would be taken soon.
