The Thrikkakara municipality may have to wait longer before claiming ownership of a prime plot within its limits. The Land Revenue Commissioner has sought a detailed report from the District Collector before acting on the municipality’s demand.
The local body has been after the Revenue Department for the four-and-a-half-acre plot, worth crores of rupees, next to the District Collectorate, though the department is inclined to give only up to two acres and that too on lease. The department had also moved a proposal to that effect to the Land Revenue Commissioner.
It has now emerged that the Land Revenue Commissioner, in a letter dated November 15, had asked the Collector to submit a more detailed report than what he had filed in March. Among other things, Basic Tax Register, location stretch, and Field Measurement Book of the plot concerned have been sought.
The Land Revenue Commissioner has also asked the Collector to include in his report the market value of the land and his assessment of the minimum land required by the municipality for its various infrastructure and development projects proposed on the plot. The municipality plans to build a new municipal office, shopping complex, and a transport hub on the land.
The Revenue Department had proposed to allocate on lease to the municipality two plots near the municipal bus station and the area north of it, which is now being used a dumping ground by the municipality. The lease period may be decided by the State government, though there is a settled precedent since 1995 that no government land may be given on lease for a period in excess of 30 years except in rare cases. The battle between the municipality and the Revenue Department over the land started last year, with the former claiming the land already used by it, for operating its plastic shredding unit and dumping waste. It even proposed a project for a municipal complex on the land and made an initial allocation of ₹10 crore.
The department shot down the claim and put up boards announcing ownership over the plot. The municipality responded by fencing the property even as the department’s boards disappeared, following which the latter put up fresh boards.
The department dispelled the claims of the municipality based on the argument that until formally allocated by the government, no one can claim the land and asked the municipal authorities to produce documents to prove its ownership.
Out of the four-and-a-half-acre plot, 60 cents had already been allotted to the Government Medical College, while a proposal for allotting another 40 cents is under the consideration of the government. The district panchayat had also sought 30 cents from the plot for the construction of the official residence of the president.
