No restrictions on land transactions for proposed K-Rail Project: Revenue Minister

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan on Thursday assured that there are no restrictions on the purchase, sale, or pledging of land in areas proposed for the K-Rail (SilverLine) project.

Responding to a query during the question hour in the Assembly, Rajan stated, "Only a notification under Section 6(1) of the Surveys and Boundaries Act has been issued. Any kind of land transactions, including purchase, sale, or pledging, can be made in the proposed K-Rail project." He further stated that any specific cases of difficulty could be brought to the attention of the District Collector for resolution.

Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan, who raised the issue, argued that, despite the absence of an official notification, the land earmarked for the project remains unsellable. "It is not even possible to pledge stone-paved land meant for K-Rail to cooperative banks for mortgages. No one is coming to buy the land," he said.

Satheesan also alleged that the government had yet to finalise the project, leading to uncertainty.

In response, Rajan reiterated that there are no hurdles to land purchase and sale and pledging since the acquisition of land takes place for the K-Rail project.

The proposed 530-km railway line, to be developed by K-Rail—a joint venture between the Kerala government and the Ministry of Railways—had been stalled due to widespread public protests, opposition from political parties, and delays in securing central government approvals.

Rajan also announced that a special rehabilitation package will be prepared for families losing their homes due to land acquisition for the expansion of the Kannur airport runway.

Responding to another query, Rajan said the Kannur District Collector has been directed to prepare the rehabilitation package.

"Measures will be taken to prevent revenue recovery on the notified land, including those mortgaged to Kerala Bank, which had set an example in handling land attachment related to the Wayanad landslides. All 200 affected families will be rehabilitated," he assured.

A meeting chaired by the Chief Minister will be convened this month to expedite the process, he added.

Rajan also stated that attachment proceedings would be halted, and revenue recovery would be carried out based on the special package.

The minister further informed that Kozhikode REC has been assigned to determine the price of buildings on the proposed land. Once the valuation is completed, the compensation process will be finalised swiftly.

"The process of determining the land price for the runway expansion is ongoing. Documents are being examined, and the compensation amount will be fixed accordingly," Rajan said.

The issue was raised in the Assembly by Congress MLA Sajeev Joseph during the question hour.

Satheesan criticised the government, stating that rocks and debris from the airport land have severely damaged the surrounding areas, making cultivation impossible for the people who relied upon agriculture to make a living.

"People in the region are living in dire conditions and the steps for ending the attachment proceedings should be taken immediately," he urged.

Earlier, Satheesan and CPI(M) legislator K V Sumesh raised the matter before the Assembly through a submission.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured timely action to resolve all issues related to the land acquisition for Kannur Airport. PTI ARM ARM KH