Kannur: Ground truths from India’s first ‘zero-landless’ district

Then Union minister Jairam Ramesh had flown down for the high-profile ceremony to declare Kannur’s new status in November 2013, personally handing over title deeds to the beneficiaries of the Zero Landless (Citizens) Kerala Project. Last week, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy declared Idukki the third district in Kerala without landless people, at a mega title-deed fair.

Suresh’s family was one of 3,250 tribal families who got one acre of land each as part of the scheme, all on the state-owned Aralam farm. The remaining area on the 7,000-acre farm was retained by the state government as a public sector undertaking. While tribals got an acre each under the scheme, others got 3 cents of land elsewhere in the district.

Members of the Paniya tribe, Suresh, 27, his disabled father, mother and a sister lived in a small house in a congested government settlement colony for BPL families in Valayamchal before they got the plot in Aralam. The Valayamchal colony had 48 families. It also had power, water connection, and connectivity via road. Now he only has land, but no power, water or safe connectivity.

“When I got the acre of land, we tried to grow vegetables and bananas. But our dream of eking out an earning from farming was shattered in the first few months after wild animals raided the land. No one cultivates anything on the allotted land,” he says.

A local forest officer says they had warned the government about the Aralam wildlife sanctuary nearby. “Despite being alerted about the animals, even land bordering the sanctuary was allotted,” says the official.

The new landowners didn’t have money to pursue cultivation either, of vegetables or tubular crops, as inter-crop between the coconut trees. And what they make from the trees is not enough. “Our plot has 35 trees. Once in two months, we pluck the coconuts. After meeting labour and transportation costs, I may get Rs 700 from selling the coconuts. It is equal to two day’s wages from daily farm work,” says Suresh.

However, getting farm work is not easy either. “While at the previous settlement, job was available nearby, it is no longer the case. Due to the threat from wild elephants, we have to return home early,” he says.

Tribal welfare activist Rajendra Prasad accuses the government of retaining the fertile land, and allotting only hilly plots, with not enough water in summers, to the tribals. Many of those allotted land were from far-off places and didn’t want to move to Aralam either, he adds.

P Raihanath, who represents the rehabilitated region in the Aralam village panchayat, says only 1,700 of the 3,250 families are actually living in the region, dissuaded as much by the allotted land as the wild animals.

Admitting the problems, Raihanath adds, “We tried to give jobs to women through the rural job guarantee scheme. Around 400 persons in the rehabilitated area are working under the scheme. They dig pits for rain water harvesting and remove shrubs.”

However, there are just not enough jobs, Raihanath says.

Suresh’s mother Santha, a daily worker, is hoping they can rear cows now. “A milch animal would cost Rs 40,000.

We don’t have savings. If the government doesn’t give money, we won’t be able to do anything,” says Santha.

Meanwhile, Kerala is pressing ahead with its zero-landless project, with the deadline for the entire state set for end of this year. Joint Land Revenue Commissioner E Devadasan, who is in charge of the project, says apart from Kannur, Kasargode and Idukki, which have already been declared zero-landless, the project is on in 11 other districts.

Reports from the ground though indicate allocation has been delayed in many districts for want of suitable land. As many as 4.5 lakh applicants have been identified, again with 3 cents to be given for general category and one acre for tribals.

Devadasan admits the problems at Aralam, adding the issue is related to lack of development and has to be addressed by various departments.

Of all the hardships at his new land, there is one, Suresh says, he can’t pardon the government for. As part of the scheme, his family got Rs 2.5 lakh from state government agency Nirmithi Kendra to build a house and a toilet. The money ran out, Suresh says, before they could undertake plastering.

The three-room structure has electrical wiring in only one room, with provision to run a single bulb. But although a line runs 100 metres from the house, Suresh is yet to get an electricity connection. The house does not have a drinking water connection either, and Suresh and his family bring water from a common well dug for 15 houses by the forest department.

Government sources admit that lack of coordination between various departments has delayed power connection and meagre fund allocation has limited electrical wiring to a single room in houses of beneficiaries.