Kerala State govt ‘gifts’ 13 acres to Church at throwaway price

Assigns Registry With Market Value of Rs 3.04 cr To St George Church

The government may be in search of land for its zero landless programme, but has nevertheless gifted 13 acres at a throwaway price to a Christian religious institution.

In an order (Go (Ms) No 200 2015RD) issued by the revenue department on May 23, the government has decided to assign on registry 13.67 acres with a market value of Rs 3.04 crore at Mananthavady to St George Forane Church at Rs 100 per acre.

The cabinet decided to transfer the ownership of the government land by considering it an out-of-the agenda item which revised an earlier order (Go (Ms) No 1702015RD) issued on May 5 and said the land would be given on lease to the church on the basis of a request from Mananthavady bishop Jose Porunnedom. The government decided to revise the decision on request from the church.

In its order on May 5, the government had decided to lease out the land ­ which the church had been occupying for long ­ at a nominal lease rent of Rs 100 per acre for 30 years. “Even though the lease rent fixed at Rs 100 per acre is too trivial a rate, the ownership of the land would have vested with the government if it was assigned on lease,“ sources in the land reve nue commissionerate said.

The decision to gift the puramboke land has been taken while the government continues its search for land that could be assigned to the landless poor.The cabinet exercised its sovereign right under Section 21 of the Assignment of Land Within Municipal and Corporation Areas Rules, 1995, and Section 24 of the Land Assignment Rules, 1964, to make the land assign ment in `public interest’.

“Puramboke land is government land which is to be protected by the government for development purposes and should only be assigned on lease to whoever concerned, thereby retaining its ownership with the government,“ former revenue minister K P Rajendran told TOI.

According to the Kerala Land Conservancy Act, 1957, `puramboke’ land is government land used or reserved for public purpose. Also, according to the Kerala Government Land Assignment Act, 1960, `puramboke’ land is non-assignable.

TOI had earlier brought out various such cases of gifting of land to the Christian community as three prime plots running to more than 18 acres was gifted to three educational institutions under the Catholic Church. The move was shelved by the previous LDF government following strong objections from within the cabinet.

Source : TOI