Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday allowed the government to acquire land for the Wayanad township project to rehabilitate people displaced by the landslides. The court pronounced the order while dismissing a plea moved by the estate owners against the government's land acquisition.

The court, however, ruled that the government must compensate the estate owners while acquiring land from them under Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The state government plans to acquire 65.41 hectares of land from the Harrison Malayalam Estate in Nedumbala and 78.73 hectares from the Elston Estate in Kalpetta to construct a modern township for landslide victims. However, the estate owners approached the High Court, seeking to halt the land acquisition process.

In its judgment, the court dismissed the estate owners' petition and allowed the government to proceed with land acquisition under the Land Acquisition Act and the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013. The court also instructed the estate owners to permit the government to measure the land as part of the acquisition process.

Observing the ongoing dispute over land ownership, the court further stated that if the estate owners are found not to be the rightful owners of the property, the government can recover the compensation paid to them.

During the hearing, the Kerala government's counsel argued that the land acquisition was initiated under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act to address the urgent needs of displaced individuals. The government clarified that though the land is acquired under Disaster Management Act, compensation would be given as per the norms of the 2013 land acquisition act.