The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has cracked a Statewide racket that helped potential land sellers and buyers illegally alter land use pattern for commercial and residential purposes.
A press release issued by the VACB said the agents helped their clients circumvent restrictions on land use pattern imposed by the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, by tweaking revenue records, including the land data bank maintained at Revenue department offices.
In surprise inspections at several revenue offices across the State, Vigilance officials discovered that corrupt officials in the Local Level Monitoring Authority, the very people entrusted with the responsibility of upholding the law, were aiding and abetting this nefarious racket.
For one, they allowed clients brought by agents to circumvent the regulation that landowners should set aside 10% of a 50-cent property for groundwater conservation.
The fraud mostly pertained to clever jugglery of land and revenue records.
VACB Director T.K. Vinod Kumar authorised lightning inspections, code-named, Operation Conversion.
