THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the active support of the LDF government, the Kerala State Land Bank Project aimed at scientific inventorisation and professional management of public lands is going on in full swing.
Started eight years ago, the project is slated to be completed within four years. An elaborate process, it involves the digitisation of land records in all the 1,664 villages and it is in its final stages.
Though a four year target has been set, the officers in the Revenue Department said the aim is to complete the whole process within two years. They said the project is going on in full swing with the support from all officers.
After the LDF government came to power, one of the first priorities was to make a record of all lands in the state, which is envisaged in the Kerala State Land Bank project.
Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan told Express that the government’s wish was to complete the project within its stipulated period. “As there are certain practical issues related to the project, it could take some more time to complete. But the aim is to complete the project before the government’s tenure,’’ he said.
Despite stringent land laws such as the Kerala Land Reforms Act, Kerala Conservancy Act, Kerala Escheats and Forfeitures Act, Kerala Land Recovery Act and the Kerala Land Assignment rules being in vogue, encroachments have been rampant in the state. The project was envisaged during the 2008-09 plan period for the scientific inventorisation and professional management of government land and curtail illegal encroachment.
Once the project is completed, the government will have record of all lands, both public and private, in the state. The process is being held under the Digital India Land Records Modernisation programme. As of now, the textual data of 1664 villages is in the final stage of digitalisation, said sources.
The long delay in completing the project is attributed to the lackadaisical attitude of officers concerned and the lack of proper funds.
The database would act as a reference for the government to plan and formulate development programmes without going for costly land acquisitions. The government lands will be managed and monitored in a better manner and there would be centralised control and management of leases. The digitisation of the records would help in more transparent land transactions.