Kerala govt initiates steps to take over LDF MLA Anvar's 6.25 acres excess land

Kozhikode: The government has initiated steps to take over 6.25 acres of "excess land" owned by LDF's Nilambur MLA P V Anvar and his family. The revenue officials initiated the step after the influential leader failed to surrender the plots by October 3 as per the order of the Thamarassery Taluk Land Board issued on September 26.

A team of revenue officials, led by Thamarassery Taluk Land Records Tahsildar K Harish, has begun the preliminary survey of 90.3 cents of land at Kakadampoyil in Koodaranji village of Kozhikode's Thamarassery taluk.

The team has notified the neighbours, following which the plot would be demarcated and taken over, said officials.
In the order dated September 26, Taluk Land Board chairman T R Rajeesh identified 10 plots in three taluks in three districts to be surrendered to the respective tahsildars in seven days.

The plots are 90.30 cents in Koodaranji village of Thamarassery taluk, 19 cents and 42.27 cents at Kuzhalmannam village in Palakkad's Alathur taluk; six plots in Trikkalangode village and a 10.25-cent plot in Perakamanna village in Malappuram's Ernad taluk.
As of now, officials have begun a survey of only one plot, that is in Koodaranji.

The Land Board chairman had allowed Anvar to surrender the plots of his choice. But the MLA did not respond to it and the officials identified the plots totalling 6.25 acres.

The Land Board earlier found that the MLA, his first wife Sheeja, and their four children own 21.72 acres. According to the Kerala Land Reforms Act, a family of six persons can hold only 11 standard acres, which comes to 13.93 ordinary acres. The family claimed an exemption of 1.54 acres under Section 81 (1) of the Kerala Land Reforms Act. The Land Board also exempted Anvar's commercial properties from the list because he made huge investments in them. That leaves the family with an excess land of 6.25 acres.

The final order also authorised the tahsildars concerned to take possession and ownership of the plots identified if Anvar did not surrender them in seven days. The tahsildars were also directed to file compliance reports to the Thamarassery Taluk Land Board and District Collectors.

Will appeal against the order in high court: petitioner
Transparency activist K V Shaji, who pursued the excess land case since 2017, said he was not happy with the order of the Land Board and would move the High Court of Kerala against it next week. "Anvar's excess land is more than 6.25 acres. I have given documents of that. He has been selling his land and buying land in the names of benamis," he said.

Shaji said he would also challenge the exemptions given to the Kerala Land Reforms Act to reduce the excess land to 6.25 acres.