End to land title deed rigamarole in Idukki

The existence of law and order assures stability in society. Laws are enacted with the utmost aim to improve human life and standards and to ensure equal treatment of all. However, some laws can make human life complicated and problematic over time. If such laws are not changed and clarified promptly, it can lead to many complications and court cases. In particular, the ambiguity in matters related to determining land ownership and the problems it causes are tantamount to making human life difficult. The land title issue in Idukki is as old as the place itself.

Thousands of families in Idukki haven’t yet received title deeds on the grounds that their houses and properties stand on forest land.

The cabinet decision to grant land titles on forest land without considering the area of ​​buildings has settled a long-standing complex issue in Idukki. This will benefit about 20,000 people who owned forest land before 1977. The central government had earlier given permission to grant it to those who own such land. Land titles will be granted to forest land only after a joint inspection by the revenue and forest departments as per the 1993 Land Registration Act.

Although the revenue department had issued an order in 2009 to grant land titles for house construction, agricultural purposes and small shops, no further steps were taken as the order lacked clarity about the area of the building. Therefore, the then district collector had written to the government to clarify the area of ​​shops up to which land titles could be granted.

In addition, the High Court had also quashed a 2009 government order allowing small shops to be granted land titles, as there was no mention of it in the law. Subsequently, the granting of land titles on forest land had been stalled for years. Although this issue has been going on for a long time, the granting of land titles on forest land was delayed as the Forest Department opposed it, citing the Central Forest Conservation Act. The Centre had changed the rules in favour of those who had settled in forest land before January 1, 1977. This led the state government to decide to grant land titles on forest land without considering the area of ​​the buildings. Many people have buildings on the land they own. As they were not given any guidance on the area of the building, many buildings popped up in the region, irrespective of the area.

The propaganda that the government had permitted the title deed in 2009 to small shops invited fresh troubles in the high-range terrain. If people’s representatives could work on ways to eliminate labyrinthine laws, putting people’s lives in a muddle, it would be the greatest service that they could give to them. Most bills are passed in the assembly almost without any discussion. So, there is no surprise that the new laws seldom get the desired results from people.