Kerala for legislation to take back encroached land

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 12 (UNI) The Kerala government, in a bid to stop encroachment by the land mafia, will bring in a comprehensive legislation to take back the encroached land, State Minister for SC/ST Welfare A K Balan today said.

Talking to reporters here ahead of a meeting with Union Tribal Affairs Minister P R Kyndiah, he said a final decision in this regard would be taken after discussions with the State Revenue Minister.

Mr Balan also said that a Rs ten-crore project for free medical facility for tribals in the state would be submitted to the Centre.

The project was aimed at providing free medical facility to all the tribals in the state from the Primary Health Centres to the Medical Colleges level.

Another proposal for purchasing land for the tribals would also be submitted to the Centre through which the government intended to buy 15,000 acres, he said and added the cost of the project was estimated at Rs 700 crore, for which the Centre would be asked to provide Rs 630 crore.

Noting that the government proposed to provide one acre of land each to the landless tribals, Mr Balan said about 30,000 acres of land was required for the purpose. The land available now for distribution was just 5,000 acres and it was a herculean task for getting the remaining land, he said.

On the long pending Central sanction of 19,000 acres of forest land to tribal people in the state, he said the issue was now with the Supreme Court and everything was done in this regard.

Mr Kyndiah, who was also present, said Kerala should look into the implementation of the recently-adopted Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act which recognised forest rights and occupation in forest land of forest-dwelling Scheduled Tribes and other traditional forest-dwellers.

He also said that forests were the tribals habitat and any development should not be on the expanse of environment.

The Union Minister was here to discuss the issues related to tribals in the state.

UNI