The Lok Ayukta ordered the Kerala government to give five cents each to 18 families whose property was acquired for setting up an amusement park in the tourist village of Veli in Thiruvananthapuram a quarter of a century ago and hand over title deeds in four months.
A Division Bench of the forum consisting of Lok Ayukta N. Anilkumar and Upa Lok Ayukta V. Shircy also ordered that reclamation of land meant for rehabilitation of families in Kadakampally village should be prepared on the basis of a comprehensive water conservation and flow management plan. Funds should be released for the works without further delay. The plots should be demarcated for the respective families and title deeds giving full legal title to the plots should be issued within four months, the panel ordered.
The government had earlier issued an order to convert the wetland to be transferred to families as per Lok Ayukata guidelines.
The panel asked the state authorities to report on the measures taken on September 3, when it will take up the case again.
The forum noted that the complainants’ families, who were “poor, marginalized and homeless, have suffered grave injustice and long-term hardship as a result of the government’s failure to honor its promise of rehabilitation made at the time of the 2001 acquisition”.
Affected families have been lobbying the government for the past 25 years without any results.
Broken Promise: Panel
As the land was acquired for public purposes, the Land Acquisition Act and various government policies mandate the rehabilitation and resettlement of affected persons as part of the broader objective of ensuring social justice. At the time of the acquisition in 2001, the government gave a clear assurance that it would provide replacement land and employment to family members. Trusting the promise made by the government, families gave up their homes and land. However, even after two decades, the government has repeatedly failed to fulfill its commitment, citing technical and procedural hurdles, including the classification of land as paddy land and restrictions under the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land, which were unwarranted, the panel concluded.
“Prolonged non-fulfillment of an honest obligation by the state cannot be justified under the guise of procedural or technical obstacles, and such behavior not only violates legal norms, but also undermines citizens’ trust in the justice and responsibility of public administration,” he said.
Published – 20 March 2026 23:35 IST
