Land encroachment: Kerala Revenue Department to act on Collector’s report, with or without CM’s reply
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Revenue Department, which is waiting for the Chief Minister’s reply on Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan’s recommendations in the encroachment issue involving Transport Minister Thomas Chandy, is likely to take its own action if the reply is not received.
Sources in the Revenue Department said they will wait for a reasonable time for the Chief Minister’s reply on the recommendation made by the minister on the report of the Alappuzha District Collector.
“We are only waiting for the reply. But the issue cannot be dragged on for long. If the response is not received after a long time, the department will be forced to take action without it,” the sources said.
They said the report along with the minister’s suggestion were sent to the Chief Minister simply to observe Cabinet ethics as the controversy involved a minister and the issue was political.
“The department is not required to do it. As per the Kerala Land Conservancy Act (KLCA) and the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act (KCPLWA), the District Collector has the power to act against encroachment and illegal filling of paddy fields/wetlands,” the sources said.
Since the Revenue Minister had given the report and recommendations on record, the Chief Minister is bound to reply. He might be waiting for the legal advice sought on the Revenue Secretary’s suggestions. However, officers are critical of the move.
“There is no need to seek further legal opinion once the minister handling the department has given his recommendations based on a comprehensive report,” the officers said, adding, “In any case, secretaries can only make suggestions to the government via the ministers concerned. This has been violated here.” The release of the Collector’s report on encroachment in Alappuzha had opened a Pandora’s Box. Recently, Advocate General C P Sudhakara Prasad had rejected Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan’s demand to entrust cases involving Thomas Chandy to Additional Advocate General Ranjith Thampan.
The Collector’s report revealed large-scale violations of KLCA and KCPLWA. It found violations of norms in filling up a paddy field and the agricultural land at Marthandam Kayal, for constructing a parking ground of Lake Palace Resort owned by Thomas Chandy and setting up a buoy on Vembanad Lake, respectively.
‘AG has only the powers defined in Constitution’
Kottayam: Reiterating his displeasure over the Advocate General’s public expression against the Revenue Minister in dealing with the Marthandam Kayal encroachment case in the High Court, CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran said the AG did not have any special rights or power beyond what is specified in the Constitution. He was speaking to media persons in Kottayam on the sidelines of LDF’s Jana Jagratha Yathra’s tour in Kottayam.