Land Scam: No action yet on panel report

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Six months after a high-level committee in its report recommended corrective measures for the benefit of tribal people who had been deprived of the land under their ownership in Attapadi, no palpable actions have been initiated yet by the State Government to compensate the victims, according to top sources in the Revenue Department.A high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary had explained in its discerning report how certain documents for tribal lands were forged with the help of some officials of the Revenue, Registration and SC/ST Welfare Departments, Attapadi Hills Area Development Society (AHADS) and middlemen.At the same time, it had made certain observations on how the victimised tribal community should be integrated into the development process. “Tribal people should not be condemned to eking out their livelihood only from dry land agriculture that is possible in these rain shadow areas; if there is a possibility of getting income from harnessing the wind, a framework should be put in place that draws investors there on an equitable revenue-sharing basis,” the report suggests.Going by the report, areas with the potential for wind power generation in tribal lands could be exploited for generating dependable income for them with a fair share of revenue going to the tribal communities at or above the guidance values jointly worked out by the Power Department and the SC/ ST Welfare Department. “Except for the resurvey works being undertaken in a few villages in Attapadi, nothing tangible has been initiated yet,” top sources said.While it is practically viable to get companies and individuals to invest in energy projects using wind and other natural resources on an equitable revenue-sharing basis, concerted efforts are needed for this, according to the report.As a first step, the report had suggested a tie-up with PSUs in the field such as KINESCO Power and Utilities Private Limited or NTPC Electric Supply Co Ltd (NESCL). Once the model is well established, perhaps, private players may be brought in through an open and transparent process, it said.