With large scale encroachment of public lands in Kerala, the government has decided to form a registry of all government lands that are not in use, puramboke lands and the holdings that have no ownership.
The government has given instructions to revenue officials to identify government lands that are not utilised, purambokes, encroached lands and the lands with no title holders within each of the village offices, highly placed sources told indianflash.
The officials have also been asked to identify the lands that have been rendered in the puromboke register at the village offices. They have to make a record of the present status of such lands.
The district officials have been asked to consolidate all the records and furnish the report within a month to the government, sources said. They said that instructions have been given for having a registry of such lands at the village, taluk, district and Land Revenue Commissionarate offices.
The officials have been asked to make such a registry on the directions of Revenue Minister E Chandrashekaran. The minister has given the order taking into account increasing encroachment on public lands, puramboke and even illegal; possession of large extent of land in the state.
Moreover, the sources said that the revenue offices, be it village office, taluk or collectorates or the Land Revenue Commissionarate, did not have any consolidated and clear record of the public lands. It is only when some issues on encroachment are reported that the officials would be aware of such a land under their jurisdiction.
Noting that the government was for having a clear picture of all the public lands in the state, the sources said that there would be transparency in all land dealings once a registry of all public lands, purambokes, lands with no ownership and encroached lands. Moreover such a registry will also help in allotting such lands for any public purpose or for giving land to the landless.
There were also reports that land mafia with the connivance of some officials in the revenue department encroach upon public lands.
