Thiruvananthapuram: Bharatheeya Vichar Kendra said that the Governor should not sign the Kerala Govt Land Assignment Amendment Bill of 2023. Bharatheeya Vichar Kendra has raised this demand in the resolution presented in the state committee meeting. It indicates that the existing government is heading towards a scenario in which they will be required to compensate for the buildings that were instructed to be demolished by the government of 2007 due to legal violations. The vote bank politics of the ruling and opposition parties is clear from this. In this context, the Bharatheeya Vichar Kendra emphasised that the bill should not be signed by the Governor.
Director R. Sanjayan, General Secretary K.C. Sudhir Babu, Dr. C.V. Jayamani, V. Mahesh, Dr. KM Madhusudananpillai, K.V. Rajasekharan and others spoke in the discussion held on the resolution presented by Dr. CM Joy during the state committee meeting.
Resolution presented in the State Committee meeting:
The Hon’ble High Court of Kerala had intervened and directed the Government of Kerala to permanently resolve the land issue in Munnar region against the illegal constructions disregarding factors such as the slope of the land in Munnar area of Idukki district (Western Ghats), height above sea level, earthquake-landslide risks, ecological importance and compliance with forest and wildlife laws. The court suggested the possibility of even prohibiting construction of buildings if necessary. In an attempt to circumvent these directives, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Kerala Govt Land Assignment Amendment Bill, 2023, on September 14, 2023.
The amendment grants the government authority to legitimize illicit constructions on government lands or legally acquired lands in the High Range area spanning the past 50 years. Furthermore, under another amendment, individuals granted title deeds exclusively for agricultural and residential purposes could potentially excavate ecologically delicate lands in the High Range, establish resorts, and subsequently sell them to corporate mafias for eco-tourism. This poses a significant threat to the high-range landscape, the habitat of forest wildlife, and the overall ecology of the Western Ghats. The consequences include increase in human-animal conflicts and irreversible deformation of the land.
The existing government is heading towards a scenario in which they will be required to compensate for the buildings that were instructed to be demolished by the government of 2007 due to legal violations. The vote bank politics of the ruling and opposition parties is clear from this. In light of this, the State Committee, through a resolution, appeals to the Governor not to endorse the newly proposed 2023 Kerala Govt Land Assignment Amendment Bill.
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