Poundukadavu park caught in ownership row

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Park proposed in Poundukadavu, along the Parvathi Puthanar canal, is now in the middle of a land squabble. The city corporation is proceeding with the project civil works, nevertheless.

The tug of war between seven families, who claim ownership of 20 cents of land falling under the project, and the city corporation has been going on for some time now. “The land has been with our family for years now and also have the title deed of the property. We were not aware of the revenue proceedings,” said  G Arjunan, one among the families claiming ownership of the land.

“From what we understand, the property was considered poramboke after the 1998-99 survey. One among us had remitted the land tax here in 1992. Recently, a surveyor from taluk resurveyed the land and we separated our property with a wired fence. However, police removed the fence and us from our property,” he said. 

“We are not against the project. However, we either need compensation for our land or job for our family members,” Arjunan said while pointing out, “They don’t really need to take our land to complete the project. There is enough property without considering our land,” said  Arjunan. They are ready to take serious measures of protest should their pleas go unheard.

Councillor Sunichandran who raised the issue in the recent corporation council meeting said: “The corporation is proceeding with the ground works for the project even when such a dispute exist. These people have ownership documents with them. Even though they were promised justice, their side is yet to be addressed properly. It will only result in more problems in the future.”
The park has been proposed under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.

At a glance
● The property was considered poramboke after the 1998-99 survey
● One among the seven families who claim ownership of 20 cents of land had remitted the land tax in 1992
● Recently, a surveyor from taluk resurveyed the land and the families separated property with a wired fence. However, police removed the fence