Bhoo Avakasha Samithi has opposed Mananthavady municipality’s proposal to accept 25 acres of land offered free by a private estate group for the Government Medical College, Wayanad, in exchange for permission to convert other plantation land, warning that the move could undermine lawful land acquisition.
Addressing the media in Wayanad on Monday (October 12), M. Geethanandan, social activist and general convener of the Samithi, demanded that the government take over all plantations allegedly held through forged documents and distribute the land among the landless. He said the government should not accept land offered by those allegedly holding it illegally.
The Samithi said the United Democratic Front (UDF), in its election manifesto, had promised to take over such plantations and distribute the land among the landless. Acquiring the plantations would enable the government to provide land to landless Adivasi and Dalit communities, plantation workers, and others, while earmarking a portion for development projects, Mr. Geethanandan said.
The Samithi alleged that the UDF government’s proposed ‘Land Reforms 2.0’ initiative marked a retreat from its promise to address landlessness among Adivasi and Dalit communities.
It said the proposed amendments to the Kerala Land Reforms Act would allow plantations to diversify cultivation and make land available for commercial purposes. Removing land ceiling provisions could facilitate the sale of plantation land and strengthen the real estate market instead of enabling land acquisition for public purposes and distribution among the landless, it said.
The Samithi demanded a revision of the terms of reference for the initiative and the termination of the existing study group’s mandate.
It will organise an ‘Avakasha Yathra’ from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram from November 8, demanding comprehensive land reforms and the takeover of illegally held plantations. A two-day ‘Land Conclave’ will also be held in Thiruvananthapuram in the last week of November to prepare an alternative blueprint for land reforms.
CPI(ML) Red Star district secretary K.V. Prakash, Ambedkarite Democratic Front convener Sreejith P. Sasi, and others attended the press conference.
Published – October 13, 2026 07:00 am IST
