Kerala to roll out SOP, boost staff strength to fast-track land conversion cases
The state revenue department conducted a meeting regarding this matter.
According to senior revenue officials, the move will leverage technology, including satellite imagery, to ensure that genuine cases are approved while preventing illegal conversion of wetlands and paddy lands. At present, such decisions rest primarily with revenue divisional officers (RDOs).
The new system will also empower deputy collectors (DCs) to take up these cases, raising the number of decision-making officials from 27 to 72. Officials believe this expansion, along with the SOP, will reduce bottlenecks.
'Applicants have often been forced to run from pillar to post due to delays and lack of clarity. With more officers and a clear SOP, we expect faster and fairer decisions,' said a senior official.
According to the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act of 2008, conversion of wetlands for residential or commercial use, prior to 2008 will not have legal validity. To verify such claims, authorities intend to use satellite imageries in addition to supporting documentation like tax returns, building plans, and home loan documents. Property document writers point to shortcomings in the land data bank established under the 2008 Act to support their claim that the new system is necessary.
'Many entries were made without site visits, relying only on office records. As a result, lands converted decades earlier were still marked as paddy fields. An SOP and more decision-makers can finally resolve these long-pending issues,' said P R Ramakrishnan, a document writer from Kottayam. The impact is expected to be significant for residents like Mariyakutty, a senior citizen, from Kanjirappally, who have struggled for approval to rebuild her family home.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 minutes ago
- Time of India
Supreme Court refuses to entertain PIL to bring political parties under POSH Act
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking to bring major political parties within the purview of the 2013 POSH Act , which aims to protect women from sexual harassment at workplaces, saying the matter was for Parliament to decide. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act came into being in 2013 to protect women from sexual harassment at workplaces and ensuring a safe work environment. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Project Management MCA Data Science CXO MBA Finance Technology Data Science Degree PGDM Design Thinking Leadership Artificial Intelligence Management Others Operations Management Public Policy Healthcare Digital Marketing others Product Management Cybersecurity healthcare Data Analytics Skills you'll gain: Portfolio Management Project Planning & Risk Analysis Strategic Project/Portfolio Selection Adaptive & Agile Project Management Duration: 6 Months IIT Delhi Certificate Programme in Project Management Starts on May 30, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Project Planning & Governance Agile Software Development Practices Project Management Tools & Software Techniques Scrum Framework Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Programme in IT Project Management Starts on Jun 20, 2024 Get Details A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran was hearing the PIL filed by Yogamaya M G seeking to bring major political parties under the ambit of the POSH Act. At the outset, senior advocate Shobha Gupta, appearing for the petitioner, sought a direction to treat political parties as "employers" under the POSH Act, saying it will require them to constitute internal complaints committees (ICCs) to address sexual harassment allegations. "This is a matter in the domain of Parliament. How can we interfere," the CJI asked, adding that the petitioner can get some women parliamentarians on board and present a private bill in Parliament. Live Events Gupta said Parliament has not taken any steps on the issue. Moreover, the petitioner was not seeking any fresh legislation but merely an interpretation of the existing provisions of the POSH Act to include political parties within its ambit, she said. She also referred to a 2021 Kerala High Court judgment, which held that political parties are not required to constitute ICCs under the POSH Act. The CJI said the high court judgment may be challenged independently. The lawyer then sought the liberty to challenge the high court judgement. "The learned senior counsel for the petitioner seeks liberty to withdraw the petition with a further liberty to take such steps as advised in law," the bench said in its order. Besides the Centre and the chief election commissioner, the plea made political outfits including the Congress, BJP, CPI (M), CPI, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and the Aam Aadmi Party parties in the petition. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
The Hindu
20 minutes ago
- The Hindu
The Evening Wrap: July 31, 2025
A day after announcing 25% tariff rate on India in addition to an unspecified 'penalty' tariff for India purchasing Russian energy and arms, U.S. President Donald Trump has dubbed both the nations as 'dead economies'. Launching a fresh attack on social platform Truth Social, Mr. Trump wrote 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.' 'We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,' he added. His post also 'warned' former Russian President Dimitry Medvedev 'to watch his words.' He's entering very dangerous territory!, Mr. Trump's post read. Mr. Medvedev, on July 28, had posted in X, formerly Twitter: 'Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10… He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn't Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!' Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal informed both Houses of Parliament on Thursday that the government is examining the impact of the 25% tariffs and penalty announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on imports from India, and is communicating with all domestic stakeholders to assess the impact. 'We will take all necessary steps to secure and advance our national interests,' he said. 'The Government is confident that we will continue our fast paced journey of inclusive growth and sustainable development towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. India is moving confidently towards self-reliance.' He further highlighted that, in an increasingly protectionist world, India has entered into 'mutually beneficial' trade agreements with the U.A.E., U.K., Australia and EFTA countries. 2008 Malegaon blast case: Special NIA court acquits all seven accused, including Pragya Thakur, Lt. Col. Purohit Seventeen years after the blast, a special NIA court in Mumbai has acquitted all seven accused, including former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur and Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Special Judge A.K. Lahoti delivered the verdict. The NIA court, in its judgment, said that the prosecution 'failed to prove the case' and that the accused 'deserved the benefit of doubt'. The provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were not applicable to the case, the court said. The judge observed that the prosecution could not prove that the bike to which the bomb was allegedly strapped, belonged to Pragya Thakur. Ms. Thakur had turned into a sansyasi two years before the bomb blast took place in Malegaon. She had already given up all the material things in life before the incident happened, the court said. It's hard to establish prosecution's claims that there was any conspiracy between the accused. There is no evidence to prove the claims that an organisation named Abhinav Bharat that was founded by Pragya Thakur and Col. Purohit, used the funds generated through the organisation to execute the bomb blast, the court further observed. The court also said there was no evidence to prove that Lt. Col Purohit had sourced RDX from Kashmir and assembled the bomb at his residence. On September 29, 2008, a bomb exploded in Malegaon, Nashik district, killing 10 and injuring over 100 people. A case was filed by the Azad Nagar police station, but later re-registered by the Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) in November 2008 and charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) were applied. In January 2009, the ATS filed its first chargesheet followed it with a supplementary chargesheet in April 2011. However, in April 2011, the Ministry of Home Affairs suo motu directed the NIA to take up further investigation of the case. In May 2016, the NIA had filed its second supplementary chargesheet and dropped MCOCA charges against former BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Sameer Kulkarni, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi and Sudhakar Chaturvedi. In December 2017, Special Judge S.D. Tekale dropped MCOCA charges and charged them under Sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. All the accused are currently on bail. Dharmasthala mass burial case: Partial skeletal remains found at sixth site The Special Investigation Team found partial skeletal remains of a body in the sixth of the 13 sites identified by 50-year-old complainant in Dharmasthala, on July 31. The complainant had alleged illegal burial of bodies in Dharmasthala. The SIT officials said they have not found a skull at the sixth site, but have discovered about 15 bones. A few of these bones were broken. The forensic doctor at the spot has prima facie opined that the bones were of a male. Final opinion would be given only after a forensic examination, the SIT officials said. Forensic doctors and the scene-of-crime officers seized the body parts after noting down the details, including the location and the way the parts were found. Stella Verghese, Assistant Commissioner, Puttur sub-division, was present at the spot. The complainant is a former sanitation worker, who had given a statement to the SIT about burial of over 100 bodies between 1995 and 2014. On July 28, the SIT took the complainant to the bathing ghat in Dharmasthala where he listed 13 alleged burial sites. The process of digging up the sites started on July 29. A total of five sites were dug up till July 30; however, no human remains were found. The digging at the sixth site, which is in the forest area and close to the Netravathi river, commenced on July 31 morning. While digging at the first site, the SIT found the debit card of a woman and the PAN card of a man. The investigation team tracked down the family of the man whose PAN card was recovered. The man, Suresh, hailing from Nelamangala taluk in Bengaluru Rural district, died of jaundice in March 2025 at his native village and last rites were conducted there, too. The SIT visited his house and the father of the deceased confirmed the same. The deceased was an alcoholic, the SIT officials said. They suspects that he may have lost his PAN card when he visited Dharmasthala before his death. Regarding the Rupay debit card that was in the name of a woman, an SIT officer said: 'The bank is yet to provide us with her details and cross-verification of her whereabouts is still underway.' Will PM and Maharashtra CM appeal Malegaon acquittal, like Mumbai train blast verdict? asks Owaisi Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi described the acquittal of all accused in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts case as 'disappointing' even as he questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would appeal the verdict like that against the acquittals in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. Mr. Owaisi took to X on Thursday and underscored that six Muslim worshippers were killed in the attack and another 100 were injured near a masjid in Malegaon. He maintained that the attack was a clear act of terrorism targeting Muslims for their faith. The MP questioned the silence of Maharashtra's political parties, particularly those who describe themselves as secular, asking whether they would now demand accountability for the failed investigation. He recalled that it was in 2016 that special public prosecutor Rohini Salian had reportedly stated that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had instructed her to 'go soft' on the accused. In 2017, the NIA sought to have Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur acquitted from the case. Ms Thakur, who was later fielded by the BJP, was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bhopal in 2019. Mr. Owaisi also recalled the role of police officer Hemant Karkare, from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), who investigated the Malegaon case and was later killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. He recollected that Sadhvi Pragya had reportedly stated that she had cursed Mr. Karkare. He also wondered whether officers in the NIA and ATS would face any consequences for what he described as a 'faulty' investigation. 'This is the 'tough on terror' Modi government. The world will remember that it made a terror accused a Member of Parliament,' he stated. In Brief: The camp led by former Chief Minister and former coordinator of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) O. Panneerselvam, on Thursday, announced its decision of quitting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Earlier in the morning, Mr. Panneerselvam met Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin at the Theosophical Society where the latter routinely goes for a walk. Emerging from a three-hour-long meeting of Mr. Panneerselvam with his colleagues and supporters, Panruti S. Ramachandran, former Minister who has been acting as an advisor of the camp, told journalists in Chennai there was no need for him to state the reason explicitly. 'The State knows it,' Mr. Ramachandran observed. The Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted a survey operation at the premises of some broking companies as part of an alleged tax evasion probe against Jane Street, the U.S.-based proprietary trading firm accused of market manipulation, official sources said. Sources stated the department is undertaking a 'verification' exercise in the backdrop of a recent Sebi action against Jane Street. In an interim order issued on July 3, Sebi found Jane Street (JS) guilty of manipulating indices by simultaneously placing bets in cash along with futures and options markets to secure massive gains. The Maharashtra government withdrew its decision to implement a 10% Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota in private medical colleges, stating that the reservation will be applicable only if the Central Government or the respective Council increases the existing seats. The State Medical Education & Drugs Department on Wednesday stated that for the implementation of 10% EWS reservation, the Central government has to compensate for the reservation impact on other category seats. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Tgana Guv sends ordinance on 42 pc BC quota in local body polls to President
Last Updated: Hyderabad, Aug 1 (PTI) Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma is understood to have sent an ordinance, aimed at facilitating 42 per cent reservation to backward classes in local body polls, to the President, official sources said on Friday. They said the Governor has sent the the Panchayat Raj (Amendment) ordinance for Presidential assent. The Congress government had issued the ordinance in July, amending the Panchayat Raj Act as Section 285A of the Act capping total reservations for SCs, STs and BCs in local bodies at 50 per cent. The ruling Congress had promised before the 2023 assembly polls to increase the BC quota to 42 per cent from 23 per cent in local bodies, besides other benefits. The Governor sending the ordinance to the President assumes significance as the High Court had directed the state government and the State Election Commission to conduct elections to the Gram Panchayats and declare results by September 30. The President's response would decide whether the state government can provide 42 per cent reservation to BCs in the local body polls. Also, two bills passed by the assembly to increase the reservation for Backward Classes to 42 per cent in education, employment and local body positions are awaiting Presidential assent. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and ruling Congress leaders would sit on a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 6, demanding Presidential assent to BC quota bills passed by the legislature. The CM and other Congress leaders, who will visit Delhi during August 5 to 7, also plan to meet President Droupadi Murmu on August 7. PTI SJR SA view comments First Published: August 01, 2025, 14:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
