KOCHI: The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Mattancherry, has urged the Ernakulam district collector to intervene in the decades-old lease land issue along the Mattancherry channel, saying the prolonged legal uncertainty is crippling businesses and accelerating the decay of heritage structures in the area.
In a petition submitted to the collector, the chamber said the lease lands, originally granted by the erstwhile Cochin kingdom over a century ago to promote trade and commerce, have remained in legal limbo for more than 30 years.
According to the chamber, several title deeds comprise both jenmom (land that’s free of any tax or revenue to the government) and lease land, with buildings straddling both categories, making it impossible to treat them separately.
The issue worsened after the revenue department stopped accepting lease rent and halted land transfer procedures in 1994, it said.
As a result, some lease lands backed by valid documents are allegedly being treated as “purambokku” (government-owned land that is not assessed for revenue).
The uncertainty has prevented owners from repairing or renovating buildings, leading to the closure of businesses and the deterioration of several heritage structures, the chamber pointed out.
Seeking a permanent solution, the chamber requested the government to clarify the legal status of the lease lands and either assign the land to existing occupants or resume lease collection at rates affordable for small traders.
