Thiruvananthapuram: The social impact study of the K-Rail's SilverLine project being carried out is part of acquiring land for the semi-high-speed rail corridor, a gazette notification has specified, even as the Kerala government kept reiterating that land will not be taken over now.
The notification further mentioned about felling trees on the demarcated land that has to be acquired, but is silent on planting survey stones, which has run into stiff opposition in the State.
The chief minister and his cabinet colleagues have been maintaining that the current survey is not for acquiring land. The details of the notification, however, punch holes in their argument.
The notification was issued on October 5 last, based on Section 6(1) of the Kerala Survey and Boundaries Act, 1961.
Section 6(1) pertains to "Notification to be published by Survey Officers," which also mentions, "...Provided that where the survey is ordered for the purpose of, or in connection with, the acquisition of any land under the law relating to compulsory acquisition of land for public purposes for the time being in force," and adds that the survey officer should publish the notification "in the Gazette or in two daily newspapers" having wide circulation in the locality concerned.
"The Project Director of the K-Rail project has submitted an application for acquiring land. The government has directed to conduct a survey of the listed land as part of the acquisition in villages. The survey will commence shortly in these villages and the boundaries will be demarcated," the October 2021 notification read.
The notification also directed -- as stipulated by Section 6 (1) of Survey and Boundaries Act -- all those having rights over the land to point out the boundaries and provide relevant details, besides presenting themselves before the authorities concerned when summoned.
The notification also had the details of land, specifying the village, taluk and survey numbers. It also directed the officials concerned to clear the land of trees.
Technical, says government
The State government reiterated that the land will be acquired only after receiving the Centre's approval for the project. Referring to the notification that mentioned the purpose of the survey is for acquisition, the government said it was merely technical.
Lack of clarity
The government has been pointing out another SilverLine-related notification issued on October 8, 2021, to counter the arguments that the survey is being carried out to acquire land.
The Department of Revenue has mentioned towards the end of its October 8 order that the land process under the land acquisition act of 2013 (Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act) will be initiated only after receiving the final approval of the Ministry of Railways.
The government, however, issued the notification for conducting the survey ahead of land acquisition, two months after the revenue department had issued the order.
Soon after the notification, the revenue department issued another order appointing a special deputy collector and 11 special tahsildars, which led to confusion and doubts over the government's intentions.
