Efforts continue to purchase Beenachi Estate

KALPETTA: The government is continuing its efforts to purchase the Beenachi Estate owned by the Madhya Pradesh Government to distribute it among the landless tribesmen of the state. High-level officials of the Tribal Department have inspected the land recently.The estate, situated near Sulthan Bathery along the National Highway 212, has 554.28 acres (224.31 hectares) of land, according to government records. The estate is owned by the Provident Investment Company, a Government of Madhya Pradesh undertaking. The land comprises a 44.660-hectare plantation whose tax is being remitted at the Village Office, Sulthan Bathery. Of the remaining 180 hectares (445 acres), about 60 acres of land has been encroached by 161 non-tribal families at Choorimala, says a report submitted by the Revenue Department.The value of the land has been fixed at Rs 30,000 per cent by the Village Officer. The 2.5-km National Highway frontage is jacking up the rate, according to the report. On another side, the land has a 3-km road frontage on the Sulthan Bathery-Nadavayal road. The total cost is estimated at `166 crore.It was proposed that after acquiring the land, the costly frontage could be sold out to private entrepreneurs to raise funds for purchasing agricultural land ideal for distribution. And the agricultural land in the interiors with sufficient road access can be distributed among tribal families. The frontage could also be used for major government projects.“The proposal to take over the estate has been hanging fire for many years,” said P P Gopi, director, Department of Tribal Development. “Talks were held earlier on purchasing the land but proved futile,” he added.