The Revenue department has issued a new order withdrawing the reserve forest status of revenue land at block number 50 at Keezhanthoor village in Kanthalloor panchayat in Idukki. According to officials, Idukki survey deputy director R. Babu issued the order on Saturday.
According to the order, a copy of which is accessed by The Hindu, “the land records tahsildar reported that there is a total of 3,844 hectares of land in the survey numbers 1 to 6 in block number 50 of Keezhanthoor village. Keezhanthoor village, block number 50 and survey number 4 have 4,336 hectares of land. The title deeds were issued under block number 50 of Keezhanthoor village for 18.5 hectares of land in 17 thandaper numbers. Excluding 18.5 hectares of land under block number 50, land status of a total of 3,541.7 hectares is being changed to reserve forest in the re-survey records, and that of 776.4223 hectares has been amended to the status of revenue tharisu land in the re-survey records,” said the order.
“The lands under these survey numbers, excluding number 4, under block 50 are in the possession of the Forest department. After the new order, the forest and revenue land status issues were solved. Now, the status of forest-owned land has been changed to forest land and that of revenue department-owned land status has been changed to revenue land,” said Idukki Deputy Collector Manoj K.
Earlier, a Revenue department order had sparked a controversy after it sought the conversion of 4,318 hectares of revenue land to forest land in block 50 of Keezhanthoor village. The order was issued based on a letter by the wildlife warden of Munnar.
The order issued by the survey deputy director on July 20, 2023 stated that “excluding 18.57 hectares of land under block number 50, a total of 4,318 hectares of land status is being changed into reserve forest in re-survey records.”
After the Revenue department had issued the order, the Kanthalloor panchayat and political parties protested against it. An all-party meeting had then decided to call a hartal in Kanthalloor panchayat on September 7 in protest against the order.
Kanthalloor panchayat president K.A. Mohandas said an all-party meeting will now be held at Kanthalloor on Tuesday and take a final decision about the hartal.
“Our demand is that after declaring the reserve forest status, the Revenue department should conduct a survey in block number 50 of Keezhanthoor village to find the actual size of the revenue land. Without a proper survey, how ca we ascertain proper land details?” asked Mr. Mohandas.
