The Hindu : Amendment to Central Act needed: Kuttappan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 11, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Amendment to Central Act needed: Kuttappan

By Our Staff Reporter

KODENCHERRY (KOZHIKODE dist.) April 10. The Minister for SC\ST Welfare, M. A. Kuttappan, today said that there cannot be a permanent solution to the tribal land issue in the State without an amendment to the Centre Forest Protection Act of 1980.

Inaugurating the function to distribute the title deeds of five acre land to 42 families at the Vattachira SC Colony here, Dr. Kuttappan said that the Act of 1975 and the Act of 1999 had failed to solve the land issue.

``The Government had issued an order to restore the alienated land of 1,088 cases out of the total of 8,888 cases as per the Kerala Scheduled Tribes (Restriction on Transfer of Tribal Land and Restoration of Alienated Land) Act of 1975. But only three persons got their alienated land. Also, the Act concerning Tribal Land passed on March 9, 1999 had stated that all landless tribals will be distributed one acre of land in their own district within two years. The LDF Government had tried to distribute land, but failed,'' he said.

He said that the land distributed by the previous LDF Government to tribals in Sholayar were the land under dispute with Tamil Nadu. The land distributed to tribals in Palakkad district were under the category of `excluded tracts'. Later before bowing out of office, the LDF Government converted these `excluded tracts' into `vested land'. He pointed out tribals did not get even an inch of land as per the 1999 Act.

Referring to the `accord' between Adivasi Gothra Sabha leader, Janu and Government on October 16, 2002, he said that it was not `an accord', but `a decision'.

``Ms. Janu and Geethanandan had not signed in this order, which is just the details of the decision taken at a meeting held on that day. It is not an understanding.''

He said though the Government had taken the decision to distribute the land of Sungandagiri project, it was not going to implement it because the Society there will have to be dismissed before distributing the land.

``But the Society members, majority of whom belonging to a particular political party, decided at a meeting not to dissolve the Society. Such organisations and certain trade unions were blocking the efforts of Government to distribute land to tribals in the State.''

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Hooch kills four near Kollam

Ghulam Nabi arriving as poll observer

CPI(M) may help Karunakaran

'Karunakaran should not have been hurt'

Amendment to Central Act needed: Kuttappan

Rival factions sharpen strategies

CPI not to seek Cong. help to oppose BJP

Rape case: MCH staff found guilty of dereliction of duty