Now Reading: Kerala land title deeds leave Arippa families worse off
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Kerala land title deeds leave Arippa families worse off
Over 200 families who received pattayams for 10 cents of land each at the Arippa settlement in Kollam district in February are unable to use them. The Revenue department issued the title…
Over 200 families who received pattayams for 10 cents of land each at the Arippa settlement in Kollam district in February are unable to use them. The Revenue department issued the title deeds without a mandatory no objection certificate from the Forest department, which says the plots remain protected forest land under the Forest Conservation Act.
Without a valid land title, the panchayat refuses to issue possession certificates, house numbers or electricity connections. Residents are forbidden from building permanent structures or improving makeshift shelters. They cannot update ration cards or claim government relief, leaving them in worse condition than before the agitation ended.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Arippa struggle was one of Kerala's longest land-rights agitations, with families camping on the disputed plot for over a decade. The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 requires central government approval for any non-forest use on notified forest land. The state government now faces a choice: either secure the NOC from the Forest department and the Centre, or relocate the families to revenue land. The next move rests with the chief secretary, who must decide whether to petition the Union environment ministry or identify alternate land. Without that decision, these families will remain in legal limbo, unable to access even basic welfare.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
