Kerala government withdraws another land order due to protest

Congress-led UDF government in Kerala today cancelled yet another decision to hand over "surplus" land by according concession under Land Ceiling Act to a private company allegedly having links with controversial godman Santhosh Madhavan.
"The order giving concession under Land Ceiling Act to the Krish Property Development Private Ltd to the land claimed to be owned by them at Ernakulam and Thrissur has been cancelled," state Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash said in a release here.
The deal was cancelled as the company had given false information and also a case is pending in the High Court on the matter, the release said, adding, the concession accorded had been cancelled with the approval of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy.

The company had approached the government seeking concession for setting up a high-tech IT park.
Today's decision also came in the wake of strong protest by CPI-M led Opposition LDF and demand from KPCC President V M Sudheeran to cancel the land order.
Santhosh Madhavan, a self-styled godman, is in prison now after being imprisoned for 16 years on various charges under IPC sections, including rape. He was caught after his activities, including cheating the public and molesting minor girls, came out in 2008.

The government order that granted permission for the company to use about 127 acres that included paddy fields at Ernakulam and Thrissur districts had triggered a controversy after the Opposition and KPCC President took up the matter.

Attacking the government on the issue, Opposition leader V S Achuthanandan had said the previous LDF government had rejected the application of the same company that came in another name, seeking permission to fill the land.
Permission was rejected as it was found that the proposal was against the Land Use Act, 1967 and Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act of 2008.
"But the government now has given permission when the same condition prevails," he alleged.
CPI-M State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan while demanding cancellation of the land order said the land comprising more than 90 per cent paddy field has been given to the company under the guise of IT industry development.

This is the third land order the UDF government was
withdrawing following protests in the last one week, ahead of the May 16 state assembly polls.
The state government was forced to backtrack on granting permission to an Eco-Tourism project in 420 acres of land at 'Methran Kayal backwater' paddy fields at Kumarakom village in Kottayam district and for super speciality medi city project in 47 acres of paddy land at Kadamakuddy in Kochi.
Similarly, the government came under attack for issuing an order to accept basic land tax for about 800 acres of land of a private estate owner at Nelliampathy in Palakkad.