Waqf land dispute: Kerala CM assures no body will be evicted from Munambam

PTI, Nov 24, 2024, 8:12 AM IST

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday assured that no one would be evicted from Munambam village, emphasizing his government’s commitment to resolving the issues in the coastal hamlet without causing any hardship to its residents.The Chief Minister gave this assurance during an online discussion with the Munambam Struggle Committee (Munambam Samara Samiti).

He also said that the government is working to find a permanent solution to the land issue and assured that no one with proper documents will be evicted.

In order to ensure this, Vijayan informed the committee that the government has decided to form a judicial commission.

In the villages of Cherai and Munambam in Ernakulam district, residents have alleged the Waqf Board was unlawfully claiming their land and properties, despite the people holding registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.

The state government has requested the Waqf Board not to take any action, including issuing notices, and the Board has agreed to this.

The residents of the land will have the opportunity to present their claims and concerns before the commission, he said.

Vijayan assured that his government will clarify its stance in the case currently pending before the court.

The government will implead itself as a party in the ongoing cases of the residents before the High Court on this matter, he stated.

The government will initiate all possible steps to vacate the stay order by High Court preventing the residents from paying the land tax, CM added.

The concerns of the residents will be presented before the court, he assured.

The CM also requested the full cooperation of the residents to expedite the functioning of the commission.

Revenue Minister K Rajan, Law Minister P Rajeeve, Waqf and Minority Welfare Minister V Abdurahiman, Chief Secretary Saradha Muraleedharan, Ernakulam District Collector N S K Umesh and Vypin MLA K N Unnikrishnan, Varappuzha Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil, Kottapuram Bishop Ambrose Puthenveettil, Munambam Samara Samiti Chairman Joseph Sebastian, Convener Joseph Benny, K N Murugan (SNDP Yogam), and P J Joseph (local resident) also took part in the discussion.

Meanwhile, the Munambam Struggle Committee said that they will continue the ongoing strike.

A high-level committee chaired by the Chief Minister on Friday had decided to appoint a judicial commission to identify the ownership of the disputed land in Munambam.