At 75, Kerala's Maari Moopan continues 12-year fight for his 40 acres
Maari Moopan disputes ownership of 40 acres in Palakkad, facing challenges securing his family land despite paying taxes and lodging complaints since 2014, whilst outsiders gain access.
Maari Moopan disputes ownership of 40 acres in Palakkad, facing challenges securing his family land despite paying taxes and lodging complaints since 2014, whilst outsiders gain access.
Maari Moopan disputes ownership of 40 acres in Palakkad, facing challenges securing his family land despite paying taxes and lodging complaints since 2014, whilst outsiders gain access.
Palakkad: Maari Moopan of the Vadakke Kadambara tribal settlement is fighting for 40 acres of land that belongs to his family for the last 12 years.
It was in 2014 that Moopan first complained that certain individuals were attempting to seize the land and encroach upon the forest. The Attappady ITDP Project Officer then forwarded Moopan's complaint to the Collector and Sub-Collector. Despite numerous subsequent complaints from Moopan, no one paid any heed. Moopan's land is located in Survey No. 524 of Kottathara village.
His father had cultivated the land and lived there in a hut. They relocated when the government built a new tribal settlement (ooru). Maari Moopan has been paying land tax for 2.4 hectares until 2020. This land, once home only to tribals and elephants, now has numerous claimants. While the Forest Department has erected barriers on the path, citing it as forest land, vehicles belonging to outsiders freely come and go with the department's implicit permission. Now 75 years old, Maari Moopan's struggle is fueled by a resolute determination to ensure his children inherit the land and forest.
No Documents for Tribals: Mafia Gets Expedited Access.
Survey No. 524 in Kottathara village, which includes Maari Moopan's land, spans 1394 hectares. In the fundamental document – the Preliminary Survey and Field Register – the land is recorded as belonging to "Moopil Nair" and as "forest." The A and B Registers for Survey No. 524 contain 85 sub-divisions, from 1 to 85. Of these, three are recorded as "State" and eighty-one as "Moopil Nair."
Sub-division 85 records 1099 hectares as forest. An order has been issued allocating approximately 250 acres of forest land to families in the Kirippathi tribal settlement under the Community Forest Rights Act. However, many non-tribals have currently been granted title deeds (pattayam) for such lands.
Land rights are typically obtained based on records indicating one was a tenant of a Janmi (landlord). Acquiring such documents and proving tenancy is arduous for tribals. These practices continue unchecked, even though there are existing restrictions on the transfer of land registered under "Moopil Nair." Armed with these documents, large-scale road construction through the forest and extensive alteration of hills are underway.
The Forest Department even issued No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for land acquisition in these areas, which are elephant corridors traversed by wild elephants day and night. This region, rich in biodiversity including sandalwood saplings, was once considered for designation as a sandalwood reserve during Binoy Viswam's tenure as Forest Minister.