THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Revenue Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, in a statement in the Assembly that could be read as a challenge thrown at Finance Minister K M Mani, said that a consensus would be evolved before any amendment was made to the Land Reforms Act. Significantly, it was Congress members V D Satheeshan, T N Prathapan and Benny Behanan who extracted the ''consensus' assurance from the Revenue Minister.
The Revenue Minister made the statement on Monday while moving the motion for reference to the subject committee of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland (Amendment) Bill, 2011. K M Mani, during his budget speech on July 8, had said that up to 5 percent of plantations could be used to cultivate other agriculture crops or medicinal plants or for garden farming or even for tourism purposes. Mani had said that the Kerala Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill would be passed in the Assembly for the purpose. He also said that the State Government planned an amendment to exempt cashew plantations from the ceiling fixed by the Land Reforms Act. On Monday, to begin with, the Revenue Minister was defensive while replying to the Opposition's charge that the UDF's move to amend the Land Reforms Act could encourage real estate sharks to usurp plantation lands. The Kerala Land Reforms (Amendment) Act was passed in 2005, during the tenure of the former UDF Government. Thiruvanchoor argued that though the LDF was critical of the Act it had done nothing to withdraw the Act while in power for the last five years. As of now, the Act is awaiting presidential sanction.
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