Revenue Minister A P Anil Kumar has said that a special team of officials will be deployed in Idukki to complete the distribution of ‘pattayams’ (title deeds), which was disrupted because a land survey could not be carried out.

“Additional Revenue officials dealing with the matter will be posted in such areas. A survey will be conducted in Mankulam and areas where the Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes kunthiana) flowers bloom. Temporary employees will also be appointed to complete the survey in a year,” he said in an interview to Manorama.

An unconditional title deed is a dream for Idukki residents. What measures has the government taken in this regard?
It is the government’s declared policy to distribute unconditional title deeds. Residents of Idukki should also enjoy the rights over land as their counterparts in all other districts of Kerala. However, we can achieve this status only in phases. The process is entangled in multiple legislations and involves various departments. We are now initiating the first phase. The land problems in Idukki did not emerge from legal issues. Instead, they were caused by interventions by courts. The courts get involved because excessive construction work takes place.

Shouldn’t the land in Idukki be exempted from unending court interventions over issues such as CHR (Cardamom Hills Reserve), construction ban and restrictions on buildings?
Certainly. We are appointing advocates well-versed in land laws. The AG (Advocate General) will be leading this process. We aim to convince the courts about the real facts. The court order of 2024 banning the distribution of title deeds in CHR was of a temporary nature. The current problems would not have emerged if the then government had explained the situation properly before the court.

There are complaints that Adivasi (tribal) and plantation areas are still awaiting title deeds. Your response?
A majority of residents in these regions will be owners of their land before October next year. We have included this programme in the government’s 100-day action plan. The government is also considering certain measures which would be beneficial to residents of small centres such as Peerumedu. Meanwhile, efforts have been launched to find solutions to disputes with other government departments, as part of which discussions were held with the Forest Minister.

Eviction of encroachments in Idukki is an issue that has landed several previous governments in trouble. Your comments?
There will be stern measures against encroachments, and we have already constituted a new team for the purpose. We will inform you later how many acres of encroached land we have seized. We don’t seek publicity by referring to the team members as ‘cats’ or some other name. It is a team of senior officers of the Revenue Department. They are doing their job properly. We will vacate large extents of encroached lands.

There have been reports that the Revenue Department would be taking over abandoned estates. Are they true?
Yes. Officers are examining the present condition of the abandoned estates, and the government will take over suitable properties. After acquiring the estates, we are planning to hand over their operations to the workers themselves, following a cooperative model. New crops will be introduced on estate land. Presently, estates in the district mostly grow rubber, tea, coffee, pepper and cashew. We will bring high-yielding varieties of foreign crops.