Modernisation of Revenue Dept. in Kerala on the anvil

Proposal for firmer authority on revenue land

With Revenue and Forest Departments embroiled in a conflict over the illegal felling of trees in government-assigned lands, a proposal has been mooted to modernise Revenue Department to equip it to manage all lands and resources within its jurisdiction in a scientific manner using Global Positioning System (GPS) information. Many believe the proposal, under the active consideration of the State government, will equip the Revenue Department to handle the task of resource management outside forestlands. “The Revenue Department should fully own up management of resource in its jurisdiction so as to end the confusion in the exercise of authority. The department should not just engage in tax collection but also take responsibility. Now, the Forest Department has been dragged into unnecessary complexities and controversies on revenue land,” P.N. Unnikrishnan, former Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Department of Wildlife and Forests, who pioneered the Participatory Forest Management in Kerala, told The Hindu on Tuesday.