UDF MLAs: Grave lease violations in Nelliampathy

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Follow us:WhatsappFacebookTwitterTelegram.cls-1{fill:#4d4d4d;}.cls-2{fill:#fff;}Google NewsThere are major lease agreement violations in Nelliampathy, said the five-member team of UDF MLAs in their report submitted before the UDF sub-committee. The MLAs said that they supported the demand of Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar that a CBI probe should be ordered into the alleged land deals.MLAs V D Satheesan, T N Prathapan, M V Sreyamskumar, Hibi Eden and V T Balram, who had visited Nelliampathy recently, pointed out major encroachments there and recommended a government takeover of Cherunelli Estate.In a major violation, several land transactions took place in Cherunelli Estate in 1987, 1991, 1994 and 1995, without the prior permission of the Union Government, the report submitted.The government should make a policy decision on whether the land and estates taken over by it should be maintained as agricultural land or converted to forest land.“The government should protect the registered labourers in the estates, taken over by it. Also special schemes should be formulated to give employment to non-registered labourers,” it said.The MLAs also called for a favourable decision in the case of small-scale farmers. The bio-diversity in Nelliampathy, which is part of the Western Ghats, should be preserved, the report said.Cherunelli Estate, which falls in the buffer zone of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve along with other estates in the sensitive zone should be taken over by the government, the report said.The report pointed out that the argument surrounding the takeover of estates is merely a legal issue.“The existing laws and the court verdicts in this regard are favourable for the government. So, the government should take effective steps to present the arguments before the court” the report said.Referring to various Supreme Court and High Court orders, the report said that all the estates in Nelliampathy belong to the category of notified forest land.The High Court has made clear that if there is violation of lease agreements or violation of Forests Act 1980, the government can cancel the lease agreement.The report was submitted to UDF sub-committee convener Advocate A N Rajan Babu. “The recommendations of the sub-committee will be based on the merit of the report,” Babu said after receiving the report.first published:August 20, 2012, 08:55 ISTlast updated:August 20, 2012, 08:55 IST
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There are major lease agreement violations in Nelliampathy, said the five-member team of UDF MLAs in their report submitted before the UDF sub-committee. The MLAs said that they supported the demand of Forest Minister K B Ganesh Kumar that a CBI probe should be ordered into the alleged land deals.

MLAs V D Satheesan, T N Prathapan, M V Sreyamskumar, Hibi Eden and V T Balram, who had visited Nelliampathy recently, pointed out major encroachments there and recommended a government takeover of Cherunelli Estate.

In a major violation, several land transactions took place in Cherunelli Estate in 1987, 1991, 1994 and 1995, without the prior permission of the Union Government, the report submitted.

The government should make a policy decision on whether the land and estates taken over by it should be maintained as agricultural land or converted to forest land.

“The government should protect the registered labourers in the estates, taken over by it. Also special schemes should be formulated to give employment to non-registered labourers,” it said.

The MLAs also called for a favourable decision in the case of small-scale farmers. The bio-diversity in Nelliampathy, which is part of the Western Ghats, should be preserved, the report said.

Cherunelli Estate, which falls in the buffer zone of Parambikulam Tiger Reserve along with other estates in the sensitive zone should be taken over by the government, the report said.

The report pointed out that the argument surrounding the takeover of estates is merely a legal issue.

“The existing laws and the court verdicts in this regard are favourable for the government. So, the government should take effective steps to present the arguments before the court” the report said.

Referring to various Supreme Court and High Court orders, the report said that all the estates in Nelliampathy belong to the category of notified forest land.

The High Court has made clear that if there is violation of lease agreements or violation of Forests Act 1980, the government can cancel the lease agreement.

The report was submitted to UDF sub-committee convener Advocate A N Rajan Babu. “The recommendations of the sub-committee will be based on the merit of the report,” Babu said after receiving the report.