KOCHI: Kalamassery-native Preetha Shaji is all set to intensify the fight for her land by taking out a long march from her disputed property in Edappally to Alangad.This is in the wake of the move on the part of the real estate group, which bought her land, to settle the issue by approaching the court with a proposal to offer her eight cents of land at Alangad near Paravur in the flood-hit area.
The march will be held on October 25. On October 17, 18 and 19, there will be vehicle rallies in various parts of the district which will end with an all-party meeting at South Kalamassery. The case is due for hearing before the State Human Rights Commission, which had registered a Suo Motu case on the issue.
“We have been suffering for two decades now. We have kids and I am yet to get justice though many had promised that the issues will be sorted out. I am not going to leave my land and would die before I do so,” said Preetha Shaji. The land was auctioned off by a private bank from whom Ratheesh, who is in the real estate business, bought the land.
Preetha and her family had been trying to get back their land for the past two decades. It all began when Preetha’s husband Shaji stood as a guarantor to his friend to get a loan of Rs 2 lakh in 1994 by mortgaging his land of over 22 cents.
The loan was provided by Lord Krishna bank which was taken over by Centurion Bank which was later acquired by the HDFC bank. The loan burden reached an alarming Rs 2.30 crore. Without paying heed to the family’s pleas, the bank moved the issue to Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRC) who gave a judgement to auction the 18.5 cents of land for Rs 37 lakh in December 2013.