THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the government is proceeding towards introducing an unique thandaper number on the lines of Aadhaar number to ensure transparency in land holdings by individuals, the figures of the revenue department show that 8,217.76 acres of land is pending to be taken over by the government as surplus land from various individuals in the state.
As per statistics of the revenue department, Kannur (2,255.52 acre), Kozhikode (1,580.28 acre), Kasaragod (1,362.83 acre), Wayanad (933.56 acre) and Idukki (716.65 acre) are the top five districts where surplus land is yet to be taken over, while Kottayam (17.39 acre) and Kollam (41.58 acre) have the least extents. There are 1,295 land ceiling cases pending for disposal that have been booked against those holding land more than the permissible limits, in the 77 taluk land boards across the state. Malappuram (223) and Wayanad (206) are on top of the list of districts with cases pending for disposal.
The pendency of cases in the various land tribunals in the state are even higher. There are 1,27,253 cases pending in 17 mother land tribunals, 16 devaswom land tribunals and 16 offices which have been given the charge of land tribunals. The cases pertain to complaints from tenants, who have been occupying the land for years but have no ownership of it.
As per the land holding limits of the Land Reforms Act, an individual can hold a maximum of 7.5 acre, a family of two to five members can own a maximum of 15 acre and a family with more than five members can hold a maximum of 20 acre. Also, companies and organisations can hold up to a maximum of 15 acre and for holding more than this limit, it should get exemption under section 81(3) of KLR Act.
As per section 81 of the Land Reforms Act, plantations, land owned by religious, charitable or educational institutions, sites of temples, churches, mosques and cemeteries and burning and burial ground, land occupied by educational institutions, land comprised in mills, factories or workshops which are necessary for their operation, private forests, etc, are eligible for exemption from the land ceiling limits. It is under this section that the plantations exist in private hands in the state and the exemption has been provided to coffee, cardamom, rubber, cinnamon, cocoa, tea or cashew plantations that existed before April 1, 1964.
The government is going ahead with the concept of unique thandaper number to every land holder in the state. As the permission to link this to the Aadhaar number has been received from the Centre, once it is done, it will give a comprehensive data of land holding of a person anywhere in the state. This would mean that once this is done, land beyond the ceiling limit cannot be held by a person.
