Remove interference to ensure priority for students: Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Representative image | Photo credit: Mary Long

The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the secretary of Karode grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district to evict encroachers from the ‘puramboke’ land to ensure children’s right of way. The commission intervened on complaints of hurdles faced by school children on the Kuzhinjanvila-Thazhevila road in the panchayat.

Following a complaint that a tile-roofed building constructed after encroachment on the puramboke land was preventing students from walking to school safely and obstructing the smooth travel of school buses and other vehicles, the commission directed Karode village officer, Karode grama panchayat secretary and Pozhiyoor station officer to take action.

The panchayat secretary could seek the assistance of the station house officer (SHO) to evict the encroachers under the provisions of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act. The Executive Engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board (Neyyattinkara) was tasked with expeditiously relocating electricity, which was a hindrance to travel.

The full bench of the commission comprising F. Wilson, B. Mohankumar and KK Shaju also directed the Vicar of St. Mary’s MSC to relocate the church pillar located at the starting point of the road. The petition was filed by A. Ajeesh, ward member of Kuzhinjanvila of Karode grama panchayat.

Published – 04 Oct 2026 0:14 IST