Revenue Minister K. Rajan told the Assembly on Tuesday that the government was embarking on a special drive to dispose of applications for land conversion under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act within six months.
The department has issued an order appointing 1,000 employees on a temporary basis and providing vehicles for site inspection, he informed the House while replying to a submission moved by Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan.
The new hands would be deployed exclusively for handling the applications for land conversion. As many as 18 junior superintendents, 819 clerks/ data entry operators and 153 surveyors would be appointed.
Vehicles for site inspection would be provided in 680 revenue villages and an amount of ₹5.99 crore would be allocated for purchasing computers, scanners and printers. Designed on a mission mode, the special drive was estimated to cost ₹31.61 crore, Mr. Rajan said.
He said the department would simplify procedures to prevent applications from getting bogged down in technicalities. A Standard Operating Procedure would be formulated to dispose of all applications received up to January 31 over a period of six months. Special adalats would be organised to ensure transparency and speedy processing.
District Collectors would review the progress of the special drive every week while the land revenue commissioner would hold a monthly review. Applications received online would be examined by the minister’s office also.
Mr. Rajan assured the House that the government would take a strong stand against malpractices in handling applications for land conversion. He said about 1,00,000 applications for land conversion were filed over the last nine months, of which 40,000 had been disposed of.
