Survey works as part of implementing the voluntary resettlement scheme under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative for farmers and land holders on the forest fringes of Kozhikode have commenced based on previously verified documents including title deeds, tax receipts, and encumbrance certificates. The first phase will cover properties of previously short-listed applicants at Poozhithode in Chakkittappara panchayat.
According to Forest department, a special revenue team from Thiruvananthapuram is entrusted with the task of completing the land survey and related procedures. It is currently covering village areas such as Mavattam, Karinkanni, and Thaalippara in Chakkittappara panchayat.
Good response
The scheme announced by the government in 2019 has been drawing good response from many landowners who have been struggling to cope with the increased instances of straying by wild animals and the associated crop loss. Chempanoda, a badly affected village in Kozhikode, has witnessed the highest number of applicants.
Till date, the applications of 75 land owners have been cleared by a special committee for monitoring and implementing the project. According to officials, the beneficiaries were shortlisted from 175 applications. Land owners who produced unsatisfactory documents and those who tried to submit multiple applications claiming joint ownership were excluded from the list.
Empowered committee
The compensation details of beneficiaries will be finalised as per the government’s already declared terms and conditions on completion of the ongoing survey. A State-level empowered committee will ratify the eligible persons’ applications and start fund distribution in instalments.
The scheme, implemented with the support of the World Bank and the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, assures eligible beneficiaries a sum of ₹15 lakh for two hectares of land with clear title deeds. Apart from this, each adult of a family will get a compensation of ₹15 lakh. For those who have more than two hectares of land, each additional hectare will be treated as a single household and granted ₹15 lakh. Differently abled will be eligible for separate compensation.
Based on the already verified documents, the Forest department hopes that the survey works will be able to cover about 115 acre near the forest area in the first phase. As very few houses are located in the identified areas, the exchange of land for compensation will be an easy process for the majority, they added.
