MUNNAR: The man who dares to take on the giants is the focus of attention these days in the hill town.
Controversies sprang around Sriram Venkitaraman, the Devikulam sub-collector, after some political parties came out protesting his efforts to cross-check the titles (‘thandaper’) of land allotted to people in Anchunad.
The conflicts arose a month ago after he decided to prevent the collection of tax from Anchunad. The decision was taken after the government order to cross-check all titles of landowners in Anchunad comprising Marayoor, Kanthalloor, Keezhathur, Puthoor and Perumala under the Kanthalloor and Marayoor village offices.
“I am not afraid of anyone because I act under the laws of the land,” Venkitaraman told Express.
“I never infringed upon anyone’s right or violated laws or government orders. Illegal land grabbers are fearing my action,” he said.
An MBBS degree holder from the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Venkitaraman forayed into administration after bagging the second rank in the IAS examinations of 2013. He was duly appointed the Assistant Collector in Pathanamthitta, and later posted as the Tiruvalla RDO. Last July, he assumed office as the sub-collector of Devikulam.
“I have not prevented anyone from remitting the land tax. The government had issued an order in 2015 to cross-check all ‘thandaper’ of the title deeds. I tried to implement the order and political organisations started the agitation against me,” he said.
The original landowners of Anchunad are not worried about the cross-checking of titles as they are genuine, Venkitaraman stressed.
“Some of the illegal landholders are behind the agitation. I never prevented anyone from constructing houses in their land. I had received 130 applications for house construction and I had given permission on 122 applications. The remaining eight applications are under the consideration of the sub-collector,” he said.