Efforts to settle tribal land issue this year: Rajendran

T Ramavarman
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
The Hindu, January 1, 2007 
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government was hopeful of an early Central sanction for distribution of forest land to tribal people in the State. "If all goes well, the Government will be able to settle the long-pending tribal land issue this year itself," Revenue Minister K.P. Rajendran said.

Talking to The Hindu here, Mr. Rajendran said the hearings on the State Government's appeal for that sanction were progressing on a positive note before the `Empowered Committee' on forest land appointed by the Supreme Court.

The Centre informed the committee that it did not have any objection in transferring the forest land to the Kerala Government for distribution among tribal people without remitting the Net Present Value (NPV). "So we hope the hearings will conclude on a positive note within next couple of months," he said. As per the earlier plan, the State would have to remit Rs.577 crore as NPV to the Centre to get 7,693 hectares of forestland for distribution among the tribal people.

The Centre had earlier agreed to waive this condition during the early days of the previous United Democratic Front Government. However, the Centre had to reverse its stand following the filing of some petitions before the Empowered Committee.

Mr. Rajendran said as per the data collected jointly by the departments of Tribal Welfare and Revenue there were about 32,131 tribal people in the State who had less than one acre.

Among them, about 9,500 families were staying in settlement colonies, each owning four cents. The Government was making efforts on a war footing to give title deeds and possession certificates to all of them. The figures available with the departments indicated that 22,052 tribal families were landless. The permission of the Centre was being sought to distribute one acre of forest land to each of these families, as agreed by the Government led by A.K. Antony, the Minister clarified.

Aralam issue

Mr. Rajendran said the Government would adhere to the stand that only half of the 7,000 acres from the Aralam farm in Kannur district could be distributed among the tribal people. The other half would remain as the farm.