Thiruvananthapuram: Confusion prevails in the Revenue Department over accepting applications from legal heirs of those granted the cancelled 'Raveendran Pattayams' at Devikulam.
The Idukki district collector has written to the Revenue Department asking whether new titles could be issued to the legal heirs since most of the land has changed hands or sold over the past 23 years.
The collector said that transferring land to the heirs may not have legal sanctity if the original title-deed holder is not found. The Revenue Department is also verifying this aspect. Transferring land may require amendments to the Land Assignment Act, 1960, and Land Assignment Rules, 1964.
There is already a move to regularise constructions on such land in Idukki, and the Revenue Department had issued an order in this regard on June 22, 2019. The move was to regularise revenue land not exceeding 15 cents with buildings up to 1,500 square feet constructed and used for livelihood, and if the title-holder did not own any other landed property.
The department said the plan is still being examined by legal experts.
The controversial 'Raveendran Pattayams' or title deeds were illegally issued by the then Additional Tahsildar M I Raveendran in 1999. A probe confirmed that in various villages under Devikulam Taluk, Raveendran had granted more than 530 pattayams. Last week the Kerala government decided to cancel 'Raveendran Pattayams' and issue new title deeds to eligible people within two months.