Recover law academy's six acre: Collector S Venkateshpathi

Thiruvananthapuram: District collector S. Venkateshpathi has submitted a revised report  to  revenue principal secretary P.H. Kurian  recommending the takeover of the six acres out of 11.49 acres of land around the Law Academy Law College  premises. The revised report was submitted on Tuesday as the revenue principal secretary had sought some clarification from the district administration on the report submitted on Monday.  The report was based on the survey conducted by land revenue deputy collector, Thiruvananthapuram taluk tahsildar and taluk surveyor. However, sources said that the revenue officials could not find some crucial documents relating to the trust.

These included the letter submitted by the trust seeking land from the government, the records relating to the original structure of the trust and the registration certificate of the trust.  The only document that the revenue officials could get was the one  relating to the cabinet decision taken in 1985 by the K. Karunakaran- led government assigning the ownership of the land to the trust. The land was given on lease to the trust in 1968.  Revenue Minister E. Chandrasekharan   has asked the revenue principal secretary to submit the report at the earliest.    

The report  pointed out that the conditions set when the land was handed over to the academy have been violated.  A double-storied building for commercial purpose was constructed on the ten cents owned by the academy outside the campus.   But the academy had registered the land for the activities of its research centre. The report also  criticised the academy for operating a restaurant on the campus and giving a portion of the building to a cooperative bank on rent. The academy has also residential quarters on the campus where some members of the director board are staying. Some buildings in the academy are also being used as guest houses, the report said.