Divya S Iyer transferred amid Varkala land row

Wednesday 04 April 2018 08:24 PM IST

by Our Correspondent

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Divya S Iyer transferred amid Varkala land row

Divya S Iyer’s decision ignited a controversy with reports suggesting malpractices. File photo

Thiruvananthapuram: Thiruvananthapuram subcollector Divya S Iyer, whose alleged involvement in a land deal triggered a controversy recently, has been transferred to the Local Self Government (LSG) department.

The transfer order came after Iyer's name cropped up in connection with the controversial transfer of land to a private person at Varkala.

Iyer will be posted as deputy secretary in the local self government department now.

Varkala MLA V Joy and the ruling CPM had come out against the officer, who is also the wife of Congress legislator K S Sabarinadhan, after the controversy erupted.

Iyer had refuted the allegations saying she acted only in accordance with law. She said that she had not met the person who was initially accused of encroaching government land.

The row started when the revenue department officials took over 27 cents of land by the Varkala-Parippalli state highway from an individual in July. The local tehsildar had found that the person was illegally occupying the land which was worth about Rs 1 crore.

The person went to the Kerala High Court for relief. The court ordered the subcollector to take an appropriate decision. Iyer, in turn, cancelled the tehsildar’s order and handed over the land back to its previous occupant.

The department had earmarked the land in the Elakaman panchayat to build a police station at Ayiroor when the individual went to the court.

Iyer’s decision ignited a controversy with reports suggesting malpractices. Her husband, Congress MLA K S Sabarinath, was also drawn into the row.

As the controversy esacalated, district collector K Vasuki had ordered to measure the land again. A decision will be taken on it only after Vasuki rejoins duty after one month's leave.

Sabarinath had accused fellow legislator Joy of politicising the issue.

Clean chit

Meanwhile, Vasuki on Wednesday submitted her report to the government giving clean chit to Iyer in another allegation regarding a land deal in Kuttichal panchayat. The subcollector was accused of assigning government land to an individual in the village.

As per the collector's report, Iyer did not assign government land to the individual. Instead, she only directed the officials concerned to sell the land based on market price and in accordance with the relevant rules.

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