Latest news with #KeralaLandReformsAct
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
No changes needed in LR Act: Min
T'puram: Revenue minister K Rajan on Thursday asserted that there is no need for any major amendments to Kerala's landmark Land Reforms Act, reiterating its enduring relevance and strength in ensuring social justice and equitable land distribution. His remarks come in the wake of state industries department proposing to revise the existing land ceiling limits to facilitate large-scale industrial projects, triggering concerns of possible dilution of Land Reforms Act. The minister inaugurated the representative session of the four-day national conclave on digital resurvey titled 'Bhoomi', organized by state revenue and survey-land records departments at Kovalam. During the session, he stated that while minor amendments and context-driven changes were made to the law in the past, there is currently no need for any major reform. "The Kerala Land Reforms Act laid the foundation for the state's transformative social progress. Though several states emulated our land reforms, none matched the strength and breadth of Kerala's law," Rajan said. "The law ended tenancy and helped actual tillers become landowners. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo It also empowers the govt to assign land for industrial, commercial, educational and charitable purposes," he added. Rajan clarified that reports suggesting Kerala was preparing to alter the land ceiling provisions were "misleading" and stemmed from a superficial understanding of the law's objectives. "Any reading of the Act must be rooted in its core intent of social equity," he said. He pointed out that even as sweeping changes occur across the country in land use and demographics, the governance of land hasn't seen corresponding innovation. Kerala, he said, is now moving towards what can be termed a "Second Land Reform" by modernising land administration through digital resurvey and e-governance. "Revolutionary steps in the revenue and survey sectors have been initiated under this govt, the most important being the statewide digital resurvey. It has helped prepare accurate, transparent land records and resolve boundary disputes," Rajan said. He added that for the first time in India, a unique thandaper (land ownership ID) system was implemented in villages where the digital resurvey was completed. The minister also highlighted the creation of a unified land portal — Ente Bhoomi — that integrates the portals of the revenue, survey and registration departments, offering a seamless interface for all land-related transactions and records. "In villages where the resurvey is complete, authenticated land sketches and ownership details will now be accessible even before registration. This will eliminate fraud and misrepresentation in land transfers," he said. Over 120 delegates, including top officials from 23 states, are participating in the conclave.
The Hindu
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
No need for fundamental changes in State's land reforms Act: Rajan
There is no need for fundamental changes in the Kerala Land Reforms Act, Minister for Revenue K. Rajan has said. He was speaking after inaugurating the delegate session of the 'Bhoomi — Digital survey for smart land governance: innovations, integration, and impact' national conclave organised by the Revenue department and the Survey and Land Records department at Kovalam on Thursday. Mr. Rajan said Kerala was the first State to implement land reforms legislation. It was a revolution in the field of land ownership. Tenants who cultivated the land got ownership of it. At the same time, agriculture labourers also got land. There was also sufficient provision in it for giving selling exemption to industrial, commercial, educational, and charitable institutions, he pointed out. Land reforms in the State were based on social justice. Several States in the country followed Kerala's model. Implementation of digital survey marked the second land reform in the State. Its aim was to give accurate measurement and title to a land that an individual legally possessed. 'We are journeying from presumptive title to conclusive title and the Ente Bhoomi Digital Survey Mission was a milestone in this journey,' he said. Land records complaints were very few in the digitally surveyed villages. As pre-mutation sketch and authentic revenue records were provided before registration, land transfer was much more transparent, he said. Kerala, the Minister said, was the first State to implement the unique thandaper in 2022 to identity all those holding land above the ceiling stipulated in the land reforms Act. One of the major achievements of the digital survey was identification of land available for distribution among the landless. It also helped identify people holding land without proper title deed. Efforts were on to assign such land to the eligible. 'We have now distributed around 2.5 lakh title deeds to the landless in the past four years. We consider this a major achievement of our government,' Mr. Rajan said. Himachal Pradesh Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, in his speech, urged representatives of various States to adopt the Kerala model in land governance. He pointed out that dispute resolution related to land records was easier when people were taken into confidence and Kerala had done a good job through panchayat jagratha samitis. M.G. Rajamanickam, Secretary, Revenue department; K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla, Land Revenue Commissioner; and Seeram Sambasiva Rao, Director, Survey and Land Records, spoke.
The Hindu
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Controversy reignites over land use as plan to convert Aranmula Punja returns
Nearly a decade after the Aranmula airport agitation faded into memory, the lush paddy fields and wetlands along the banks of the Pampa are once again at the heart of a raging storm. Alarmed by a move to set up an electronics manufacturing cluster on the ecologically fragile terrain, the Aranmula Anti-Airport Protest Committee has swung back into action. At a preliminary meeting held on Tuesday, the committee, once led by the late environmentalist Sugathakumari, resolved to fiercely oppose any attempt to reclaim the wetland known as Aranmula Punja. According to the committee, the original airport project proposed by the KGS Group had been shelved after it was discovered that nearly 90% of the 344-acre site consisted of wetlands. Now, under a different name but with the same intentions, the group is back, not just seeking approval for the new project but also asking the government to cancel the surplus land acquisition order tied to the scrapped airport plan. 'This land has supported active paddy cultivation for seven years straight,' says K.S. Suresh, secretary of the protest committee. 'Nearly 3,000 tonnes of paddy was harvested in just the first week of May. The next crop is due soon. More importantly, these wetlands act as floodplains that protect the entire region during the monsoon, ' he says. Mr. Suresh also cited an earlier verdict of the National Green Tribunal, which cancelled the environmental clearances for the airport project on grounds that it will result in the conversion of paddy fields and wetlands. The electronics cluster proposal has already triggered strong opposition within the government too. The Agriculture department has strongly opposed the plan, arguing that the site in question is clearly unfit for industrial activity. A scathing report by the Agriculture department on TOFL's application for exemption under Section 81(3) of the Kerala Land Reforms Act warns that flattening the wetlands will lead to drought, flooding, and the collapse of agriculture in the area. Noting that the proposed project site spans four villages namely Aranmula, Kidangannur, Mallapuzhassery and Mezhuveli, the report also states that all of these villages bore the brunt of the devastating 2018 floods. 'Land conversion here will impact paddy cultivation on 65 acres, disrupt natural water channels, and trigger serious ecological imbalance,' reads the report, undersigned by the Principal District Agriculture Officer, Pathanamthitta. Responding to the controversy, Revenue Minister K. Rajan too made it clear that no project involving paddy land will be allowed without the consent of the Agriculture department. 'Even if the Revenue department receives the application, the final word on whether such land can be touched lies with the Agriculture department,' he said.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mega electronics mfg cluster mooted in Aranmula wetlands
Thiruvananthapuram: In a policy U-turn, the state govt is weighing a proposal by a private company linked to the original promoters of the controversial Aranmula airport to develop a Rs 600 crore electronics manufacturing cluster on the same 335.25 acres where the shelved project was once planned. Govt records accessed by TOI reveal that over 90% of this land is officially classified as paddy field or wetland. The proposal is being considered by the revenue and agriculture departments, and the move contradicts the LDF govt's 2016 position. The Pinarayi Vijayan-led cabinet had, in Nov 2016, in one of its first major decisions after coming to power, scrapped all clearances to the Aranmula airport project, honouring its election promise. The govt revoked every order passed by the previous UDF regime—its in-principle approval, equity participation and the controversial grant of industrial status to the largely agrarian land. Former agriculture minister V S Sunil Kumar even staged a symbolic paddy sowing at the site and declared that the land would be returned to its original purpose. Now, a company named Taking Off to the Future Pvt Ltd (TOFL)—described in govt documents as a direct reincarnation of the Aranmula airport firm—is back with the cluster proposal. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Show Your Patriotism: American Flag Bald Eagle Garland Graddi Read More Undo It has sought exemption under Section 81(3) of the Kerala Land Reforms Act to retain excess land that spans four villages—Aranmula, Kidangannoor, Mezhuveli and Mallapuzhassery in Pathanamthitta's Kozhencherry taluk. "The proposal was forwarded to us from the IT department. As part of the due process, the agriculture department was asked to give its opinion regarding the paddy land, and its response has not been favourable. The revenue department, which handles land conversion, also considers such inputs before taking a final view. Both departments have conveyed their respective opinions, and the matter is under consideration," revenue minister K Rajan said. Documents confirm that the site earmarked for the cluster overlaps with the land once acquired for the airport. Of the total 335.25 acres, 156.45 acres are classified as paddy land and 13.77 acres as wetlands, triggering concerns under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008. The district collector's report, submitted as part of the exemption application, bluntly notes: "The land includes large extents of paddy fields and wetlands. Many parcels are still being used for paddy cultivation, as verified by agricultural and village offices." According to a revenue department note, quoting the district collector's report, the property remains under scrutiny as part of an excess land case, and land tax is not being accepted. The note, also citing a joint field inspection, confirms that the site includes land reclaimed before 2007, areas listed in the paddy land data bank and active paddy plots. Inspectors also found that adjacent areas, like the Kidangannur puncha fields, are under cultivation. The agricultural officer also warns that any future construction must be planned carefully to avoid flooding and ecological degradation. Importantly, the district collector has not made a clear recommendation on whether the land ceiling exemption should be granted. TOFL claims that the project will attract Rs 4,000 crore in additional investments and create over one lakh jobs. Senior officials, however, admit that the firm's direct lineage to the abandoned airport project has revived old concerns about land use violations, regulatory circumvention and repackaging of a rejected venture. The land was originally transferred to KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd, the company behind the defunct airport, by the Kozhencherry Charitable Education Society. The public accounts committee of the assembly had earlier revealed irregularities in the airport project's land dealings and clearances.
