The Cabinet has decided to task the Idukki District Collector to prepare a report on the encroachments in the district and regularise buildings having an area up to 1,500 sq ft located on titled land up to 15 cents and are being used for own purposes.
The building owners should not have property anywhere else. The Land Assignment Rules, 1964, would be amended for regularising the buildings. Building owners in this segment who are using it for commercial purposes will have to prove that it is their sole means of livelihood. The Collector would examine each case and submit it for government decision.
The Cabinet also decided to cancel the title-deeds of commercial buildings that did not fall in the above category, takeover the land and buildings and vest it with the government. It would be leased out as per the rules in force.
Constructions on encroached government land without title-deeds would be taken over and used for public purposes. A five-member committee was appointed for scrutinising the title-deeds that were deemed as counterfeit, but were approved by the government. These title-deeds were issued by a tahsildar, Ravindran, earlier. The committee has been told to complete the scrutiny in a time-bound manner so that the follow-up action could be completed in three months.
Since the Munnar Tribunal has been wound up, the pending cases would be transferred to the courts from where they originated. An ordinance would be promulgated in this regard. The Local Self-Government Department has been entrusted with the task to amend the building rules to prevent construction of commercial buildings in violation of title-deeds issued as per the provisions of the Land Assignment Rules.
As per the amended rules, building permits would be granted only against the certificate of the village officer so that commercial buildings cannot be constructed on the land allotted for residential purposes. A town planing scheme would be formulated for Munnar region with adequate provisions for rainwater harvesting, solid waste management and solar power generation. The scheme would not cover Vattavada and Chinnakanal regions.
The decision were made considering the unique nature of the land issues in Idukki district.