7 things you should know about Kerala's new anti-land grab bill

The draft Bill is ready and will be tabled in the Assembly: Revenue Minister Aims to tackle big-time encroachments of government land Separate provisions to treat settlers and encroachers differently 

Kerala government will soon introduce a Bill to curb encroachments upon government lands across Kerala. The move aims to prevent encroachments rather than conducting eviction drives later. The law will be called Land Grabbing Prohibition Act.

"The draft Bill is ready to be tabled in the Assembly," Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan said. He also said that encroachments are taking place across the state, but they are nothing in comparison to what is happening in Idukki. In Idukki district, encroachment sprawls over 200 to 300 acres, while in other districts its usually between 10 to 50 cents, he said. 

Here are major highlights: 

• The primary purpose is to tackle big-time encroachment of government land
• Land given for plantation purpose but diverted for construction activities will also be targeted
• Five lakh acres of public land in the illegal custody of 200 big land sharks
• Strict provisions including penalisation of government officials who act hand in glove with land mafia
• Special courts with civil and criminal jurisdiction to try encroachment cases
• Separate provisions to treat settlers and encroachers differently 
• Encroachers will be dealt with in a more sensitive manner considering their effort in making land productive