LDF Government Fulfils Hill Residents’ Poll Promise; Cabinet Clears Land Assignment Amendment Rules

Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF government has approved the Land Assignment Amendment Rules, implementing a key election promise made to the people of the state’s hill regions. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the long-pending land ownership issues in the high ranges, which had caused hardship for decades, are now being resolved. “This brings to an end a 65-year wait for the hill communities,” the Chief Minister said after the Cabinet decision. The approval marks the fulfilment of one of the major commitments in the Left Democratic Front’s 2021 Assembly election manifesto. The new rules, framed after extensive discussions, will regulate the change of use of land previously allotted under the Land Assignment Act. Land originally granted for farming or house construction can now be regularised for other livelihood-related purposes. “The most important step was to create a framework to address land-use reclassification. With this, the issue will be comprehensively settled,” the Chief Minister added.