Kerala Government's Land Allocation to College Sparks Major Controversy
In a move that has ignited significant political controversy, the LDF government's revenue department in Kerala issued an order on March 15—the very day state assembly elections were announced—directing the Ernakulam district collector to assign 88 cents of prime land near the Kaloor International Stadium to St Albert's College.
Prime Land and Waived Dues
The allocated land is situated in an area where property values are exceptionally high, estimated between Rs 40 lakh and Rs 50 lakh per cent. Additionally, the order waives approximately Rs 1.81 crore in rental dues that the college owed to the government for leasing the same land until 2004.
Critics have been swift to condemn the timing as politically motivated, alleging that the government is attempting to court the Christian college management ahead of the crucial elections. This allegation gains weight from the historical context of similar actions.
Historical Context and Reversal
This is not the first attempt at such land allocation. The previous UDF government under Oommen Chandy issued a comparable order in 2016, just before that year's elections. When the LDF came to power in 2017, it established a cabinet subcommittee to scrutinize the matter.
The subcommittee concluded unequivocally that assigning the land to the college would cause substantial financial loss to the government and strongly recommended against it. The current LDF government's decision to reverse this position has therefore drawn sharp criticism and accusations of inconsistency.
Allegations of Corruption and Legal Challenges
Activist KT Cheshire, who has been legally contesting the land assignment for years, labeled it a clear case of corruption. "The LDF government's move is to appease the community and secure their votes," he stated. Cheshire further highlighted that following a similar move by the Oommen Chandy government, he approached the High Court, which ruled in 2023 that the government must act in accordance with law and policy.
He pointed out that assigning leased government land to any individual institution violates established norms. "As per rules, lease land cannot be assigned to anybody, nor can land be assigned to a specific college or community. To make matters worse, a vigilance probe is still pending on a complaint I had filed against the Oommen Chandy government's earlier attempt," Cheshire added.
College Management's Defense
According to the college management, there is nothing extraordinary about the decision. Fr Antony Thoppil, manager of St Albert's College, explained, "Earlier, a similar order was issued by the government in 2016. Later, the LDF government kept it pending, citing technical issues."
The background involves land acquisition for the Metro rail in 2013, where about 88 cents from the land leased to the college was taken over by the government. The college authorities subsequently demanded the government allot 88 cents in compensation. The 2016 UDF government order proposed allocating 88 cents by taking over 74 cents from the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and 14 cents from a private individual occupying adjacent government land.
Potential Consequences
Cheshire warned that once the land is transferred, the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium will no longer have adequate parking space to meet the standards required for hosting international football matches, potentially impacting sporting events in the region.
Attempts to reach key officials for comment were unsuccessful. Revenue minister K Rajan, GCDA chairman K Chandran Pillai, and revenue secretary MG Rajamanickyam were all unavailable when contacted, leaving questions about the decision's justification unanswered.
The controversy underscores ongoing tensions between political expediency and administrative propriety in Kerala, with the land allocation becoming a focal point of debate as election campaigns intensify.
