The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to inform it of the time frame for allotment of habitable land to the landless, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes families at Chengara in Pathanamthitta district.
Justice Devan Ramachandran also directed the State government to disclose the name of the officer who had been entrusted with identifying and allotting the land.
The court issued the order on a writ petition filed in 2013 by the Adivasi Dalit Munneta Samiti and others.
The court reminded the authorities that the issue had its beginning in 2001 when an agreement was entered into by the government with the participants of the Chengara land agitation. It had now been nearly 20 years. But a resolution had not yet been found. When the State was gearing up for various projects which would involve displacement of people on account of land acquisition, the delay in grant of eligible benefits to the persons who were involved in the Chengara agitation would only give rise to further strife and complication, the court said.
The court added that unless earlier commitments made by the government were adequately met, further commitments, particularly on account of the pressing demand on land in Kerala, would become impossible of being honoured, thus paying the way for deleterious consequences in future. Therefore, the competent authority of the government should tell the court how and when the land required for families would be allotted to them. This was every important because the requirement of land on account of various development activities would only mount in future.
Govt. stance
The State government submitted that the Land Revenue Commissioner and other revenue officials were taking steps to identify land for distribution and 36.3438 hectares of habitable land had been identified in four districts. The government was in the process of finding out more land.
The court also directed the State government to conduct necessary inquiry to confirm whether 36.3438 ha was fully habitable.
