Steps initiated to assign fair value to rehabilitation plots at Mulavukad

Prolonged issues with land suitability, title deeds, and construction disruptions have caused severe delays for 14 families at Mulavukad under the Moolampilly rehabilitation package

Steps have been initiated to assign fair value to plots at Mulavukad allotted to 14 families for the rail and road connectivity of the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam under the Moolampilly rehabilitation package.

The valuation process is being led by the Kanayannur taluk surveyor. The land and property of the 14 affected families were acquired by the Revenue department in 2008. Following protests, the families were allocated rehabilitation plots at Kattathukkadavu near the Mulavukad police station along the Container Road. The marshy land of the rehabilitation plot was levelled by the district administration after another round of protests.

Despite this, the construction of houses on the plots was disrupted, and the Public Works department submitted a report stating that the plots were not suitable for construction. Since the Revenue department had not carried out the subdivision of the plots, even cooperative banks and other financial institutions refused to lend against the title deeds.

Following intense protests by the Moolampilly Coordination Committee, spearheading the protest for the evictees, the monitoring committee, chaired by the District Collector and responsible for overseeing the implementation of the package, held a meeting on June 27 and decided to resolve the issues within 45 days.

Later, it emerged that the documents with the district survey superintendent still classified the plots as ‘wetland’. Subsequently, the coordination committee obtained the digital records of the documents from the State office of the Survey department in Thiruvananthapuram. Based on the records, an application was submitted to the taluk land document tahsildar. Steps are now being taken to assign fair value to the plots, with the subdivision process having been initiated after more than 15 years.

The rehabilitation site spans 90 cents, including eight plots of five cents each, six plots of six cents each, and a four-meter road. The coordination committee has accused that four beneficiaries of the plots have died without enjoying the benefits due to delays in completing the formalities. During this time, four state governments, 11 district collectors, and numerous officers have held office.

The suspension of the monitoring committee, which was supposed to meet monthly and submit reports to the Revenue Minister on the progress of the rehabilitation package, exposed the families to prolonged hardships, the coordination committee accused.

The survey report is likely to be submitted to the Kanayannur tahsildar within a fortnight.

Published - November 16, 2024 09:24 pm IST