Rules for land reform amendments to be formulated soon, says CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Idukki: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that the government aims to find a permanent solution to the land issues in Idukki district. He announced that the rules for the 1960 Land Reform Amendment Act will be formulated soon, which will help resolve the long-pending land disputes in the district.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the district-level meeting held at Nedumkandam Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Idukki as part of the state government's fourth anniversary celebrations.

Highlighting the district’s unique geographical features and special climatic conditions, the Chief Minister said that the government is giving high priority to the development of Idukki.

According to the Chief Minister, violations related to the usage of patta (title deed) land can be regularised under the amendment. The amendment also includes provisions to regulate changes in land usage, such as those governed by the 1964 rules for agricultural land and the 1995 regulations for residential houses and small commercial establishments within municipal and corporation areas, he added.

The Chief Minister said that government policy is to regularise the violations related to land use changes carried out for the livelihood needs of the high-range population. For this, specific rules need to be drafted, he added.

Vijayan said that applications related to this will be processed within a fixed timeframe to avoid delays. A single-window system will be set up for processing applications related to the regularisation of educational institutions, hospitals, cooperative institutions, government and semi-government buildings constructed on patta lands, libraries, clubs, and other public-purpose structures established with government support, he added.

The Chief Minister said that measures will be taken to speed up the regularisation of constructions related to religious institutions, community organization facilities, disability rights protection establishments, and commercial centers built on government or semi-government land for public purposes.

The Chief Minister also stated that a decision regarding granting permission for quarries to ensure the availability of construction materials will be taken soon.

Minister Roshi Augustine presided over the function. Minister V N Vasavan, MLAs M M Mani, Vazhoor Soman, A Raja, District Panchayat President Rarichan Neeranakunnel, former MP Joyce George, former MLA K K Jayachandran, Planning Board Vice-Chairman V K Ramachandran, District Collector V Vigneshwari, and Additional District Magistrate Shaiju P Jacob were among those who attended.