District Collector K.V. Mohan Kumar said here on Friday that all land transactions recorded at the Agali sub-registrar office in the last couple of years would be examined on July 18 to find out the companies and individuals who had bought tribal land in the Attappady hills to set up windmills.
The Collector said the Revenue Divisional Officer had been directed on June 3 to conduct an inquiry into large-scale purchase of tribal land by companies and other non-tribals in violation of the law that prohibited sale of tribal land. He said that on the basis of the inquiry findings, a detailed investigation would be conducted.
The Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) officer of Attappady had sent a report on May 7 to the District Collector stating that windmill companies were buying and encroaching upon tribal land in Sholayur and Kottathara villages in Attappady. In Survey No.1275 in Sholayur village, 150 acres that was in the possession of tribals for the last 40 years was either bought or encroached upon by companies that had put up windmills.
Twelve windmills were put up by a multinational company. According to the report of the ITDP officer, part of this land belonged to 36 tribal people. They were paying tax for the land. The report mentioned the names and extent of land the tribals had in this area. The company bought the land from the tribesmen for a small amount and put up the windmills. It sold power units to many leading companies in the State. It is learnt that the company also bought the land pledged in the State Cooperative Bank. The land was confiscated by the bank for default in loan repayment but was encroached upon by some people and was later sold to the windmill firms.
Socialist Janata (Democratic) secretary general K. Krishnankutty and social activist of Attappady K. Sukumaran demanded a detailed probe into the usurping of tribal land in Attappady. Mr. Krishnankutty said multinational companies were taking away hundreds of acres of land in Attappady that belonged to the tribesmen.
