THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Political, cultural and religious leaders have demanded to revoke the decision to hand over the Kovalam Palace and adjoining land to the RP Group and asked the government to bring out a white paper related to the transfer.
‘’The government should cancel the order to hand over the heritage property and prime land to a private group. The government should take steps to protect the Kovalam Palace,’’ former KPCC president V M Sudheeran said here. He was addressing a protest meet against the decision to hand over the palace. Noting the Cabinet decision to hand over the property was full of mystery, he demanded a comprehensive probe by an Assembly committee.
‘The Revenue Department is the custodian of all land in the state. The decision to hand over the Palace and adjoining land was taken in a Cabinet meeting where the Revenue Minister was not present. What prompted such a move remains a mystery. The government should make the Cabinet decision public,’’ he said. The government that came to power in the name of protecting the interests of the poor has turned out to be protectors of the rich. The government is for transferring huge sects of land to the rich when the poor, fishermen and farmers are denied even a small piece of land, Sudheeran said.
He lashed out at the government for helping some of the plantation majors that are illegally holding lakhs of acres of land. Instead of taking back all public land, the government and some of the officers are helping them, he said. Efficient officers, including former Devikulam Sub-Collector Sriram Venkitaraman, were transferred only because they had taken a firm stand against encroachers.
Poet Sugatha Kumari who inaugurated the meet said all governments are bound to protect their heritage properties. ‘’What we have been seeing is all heritage properties of the state are being sold to the rich. Blaming the present and former governments, she said: “all the governments had only tried to sell Kovalam Palace.
The government should revoke its decision and take possession of the palace,’’ she said.
Arch Bishop Susapakiyam and Palayam Imam V P Suhaib Moulavi were also of the same opinion the government should clear the mystery behind the transfer of the property. Susapakiyam said large extent of land was being transferred to the rich and influential when the poor and fishermen are deprived of land.