Thrissur: The local administration authorities in Thrissur district have started denying Occupancy Certificates to new houses which have come up on the land coming under the survey numbers identified for the SilverLine project. A State Government directive in this regard is suspected. The denial of the crucial document should be expected for even houses whose construction was just completed.

The new restrictions came to public knowledge when the Kolazhi Grama Panchayat secretary asked a house owner to submit a certificate from the village officer stating that the SilverLine railway track doesn't pass through his plot. This was required in order to issue the Occupancy Certificate.

But those who have submitted such a document have not yet been given the Occupancy Certificate. But the official clarification is that the Occupancy Certificate will be issued in such cases soon.

Meanwhile, construction work has been frozen in areas through which the SilverLine track passes through in the state. Panchayat authorities have ordered that the certificate from the village officer should be made mandatory for giving permission for the construction of a new house.

If the proposed house comes up on the land that comes under the survey number notified for the K-Rail work, the required permission will not be given for the construction of a house.

Usually, the construction activities are not barred without notifying the details of the land to be acquired. Moreover, the Revenue Department is the competent authority to impose any such restriction. But in this case, the Local Administration Department has barred all construction activities in the project site. But it has tactfully avoided any mention of 'ban' or 'freeze' in its communications in this regard.