Now, a ₹1 crore land fraud under tribal scheme in Kerala

A sting operation by Asianet News has unearthed yet another land fraud committed in the name of tribals in Kerala. The names of Wayanad MP MI Shanavas and DCC president KL Poulose have also surfaced in the sting operation.  

 

Investigations have unearthed that six acres of property purchased by the Kerala government at Venmani in Wayand under Aasikkum Bhoomi (desired land) scheme for the tribals, was actually surplus land, which was illegally possessed by various persons. Surplus land is in fact property retained by the state government, but not utilised. 

 

Kozhikode native Hassan Koya, one of the former owners of the plots, told Asianet News that former deputy collector Uppi forged the documents that were needed to facilitate the sale. Wayanad MP MI Shanavas and DCC president KL Poulose also helped, Koya told the reporter who approached him, pretending to be a businessman. 

 

The property was purchased in Venmani under Aasikkum Bhoomi scheme for the tribals. In the documents related to the land purchase, the then deputy collector (not Uppi) had made a query to check whether the property is purchasable as there were suspicions that it was surplus land.

 

It was also noted that the report about the land purchase had not mentioned whether the government had allocated the land to the owner. The deputy collector also queried whether the owners of the plots were possessing more land (more than 15 acres) than what can be owned legally. However, no answers were given to these queries. 

 

Former Collector K G Raju had noted that further proceedings for land purchase can be initiated only after getting the title deed of the property. The collector had also told the officials to wait till all documents were produced. 

 

The land, for which the village officer fixed market value as ₹10,000 per cent, was purchased for ₹26,500 per cent .  

 

The person who sold the land to Koya said that he had no documents proving ownership or possession when the land was sold to Koya and his relatives. However, the sale document contains the Pattaya numbers of the land. 

 

Koya said that former deputy collector Uppi helped him to get Pattaya document for the land.

 

Uppi said that documents are original and revealed that former block panchayat president Ashraf and MP M I Shanavas were involved in the deal. 

 

The village officer fixed the land price as Rs 10, 000 per cent while it was sold for ₹26,000 per cent. The minutes of land deal reveal that the district collector fixed the price of land at ₹26,500 per cent. The state government lost more than one crore from the deal. 

 

The property lacks road facility and water and electricity connection. So the tribals to whom it was allotted have not occupied the land yet. 

 

The property is at a distance of less than two kilometres from the house of PK Jayalakshmi, who was the Minister for Welfare of Backward Communities at the time of the deal.

 

However, no one has inquired into this land fraud yet. 

 

Another land scam that came to light on 27 August had revealed that the tribals of Wayanad, who are suffering from sickle cell anaemia were allotted uninhabitable land.