The Revenue Principal Secretary who probed the allegations of fraudulent transactions of government land in Kottakamboor village, which led to a controversy involving LDF-backed Independent candidate of Idukki Joice George, has recommended a probe by a special investigation team into all land deals in the region from 1999 onwards.
Revenue Principal Secretary Satyajeet Rajan has also recommended a Vigilance inquiry into the role of village officer and tahasildar who were behind the deals.
In the report, Rajan also recommended a separate probe to unearth the role of officials of Revenue and Registration Departments whose actions had led to the alienation of thousands of acres of government land.
Stating that the fraud involving government land in Kottakamboor Village was not an isolated case in the region, the Principal Secretary said that only a comprehensive inquiry would unearth the wide range of land deals in the region and only a special investigation team could bring out the truth. Moreover, the special team should be given powers to call for any records and summon any officials for verification, he added.
Rajan said that during the course of the inquiry, it was found that there had been widespread allegations of fraudulent appropriations of government land in erstwhile ‘Anchunadu Village’ comprising Kottakamboor, Vattavada, Kanthalloor, Keezhathoor and Marayoor since 2005. The ‘pattayams’ were issued to Tamil migrant labourers who are not eligible under the Kerala Land Assignment rules as they cannot posses and cultivate government land.
It is also noted that all land owners — Murugan, Ganeshan, Veerammal, Poonkodi, Lekshmi and Balan — who had transferred their land to Joice’s father, had got the ownership of the land the same day and the land transfer to him was made after a month through power of attorney.
On the transfer of land to Joice’s father, he said that it was not valid. As per the Kerala Land Assignment (KLA) Rules 1964, the land that has been given to the SC category people can be transferred only after three years. Moreover, all the six have found to be in possession of four acres of land each, which was not valid as per KLA rules, which specifies that only three acres of land can be awarded