Kerala government has decided to identify and reclaim all illegal land holdings in the possession of various British companies and individuals prior to independence.
Ernakulam district collector M G Rajamanickam has been appointed as the Special Officer for resuming the government land.
He has been entrusted to verify the ownership of all land
holdings by British firms and individuals and the title conferred on the land holders after the independence, according to a recent order issued by the state Revenue Department.
"If no title has been conferred on the present occupiers
by the state or the Centre, action shall be taken as provided under law to resume the land illegally possessed by such persons," Principal Secretary (revenue) Vishwas Mehta said in the order.
The government's decision was following an order of the
state Human Rights Commission to resume all encroached state-owned lands.
A recent investigation carried out by Inspector General
of Police S Sreejith on the behest of the rights panel had found out that over 5,000 acre government land had been encroached across the state in this manner.
The Human Rights panel had ordered the investigation while considering a complaint against Travancore Rubebr and Tea Company in Idukki, an official release said here.
Based on the probe report, the panel had given a set of
recommendations to the state government to resume the encroached lands.
