REPORT OF THE EXPERT GROUP CONSTITUTED FOR EVALUATION OF THE SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESMENT REPORT ON

MOOLATHARA RB CANNAL

Introduction

The Social impact assessment study on the Land Acquisition for THE LAND ACQUISTION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF RB CANNAL has been conducted by RAJAGIRI INSTUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES KALAMASSERI and submitted the report. The District Collector, as per proceedings No. DCPKD/1403/2018-C5 dt 05.02.2021 has appointed the expert group constituting the following members for evaluating report.

1) Shri. S. Abdul Rahiman (Chairman, SIA Study ); 2) Shri. M. SAREENA ,Social Scientist 3) Shri. Rajan Ponraj ,Ex. President, Eruthiyampathy 4) Shri. Ramesh.R 5) Shri. U Narayanankutty, Retd Deputy Collector, Palakkad; 6) Shri. P.P Jayarajan, Retd Deputy Collector, Palakkad; 7) Shri. Sudheerkumar , Assitant Executive Engineer, RBC, Sub Division.

The expert group conducted meeting on 09.03.2021, 11.03.2021 & 21.03.2021. The expert group conducted site inspection and evaluated the social impact assessment study report and submitting the expert group report as follows. REPORT

CHAPTER -1

The study committee report on the importance of irrigation schemes to increase agricultural production in this area. It is estimated that the increase in irrigation facilities in Palakkad, the granary of , will lead to an increase in agricultural crops and various projects on the Chittur River will be able to irrigate more hectares of land. Agriculture is the main source of income for the people of Palakkad, the rice belt of Kerala. 76% of the rural population in the district is dependent on agriculture. The study committee estimates that the project will improve agricultural activities in the villages of and Kozhipathi in , , the project area, thereby improving the economic and environmental development of the project area.

Government of Kerala Revenue (B) Department Form (4) Notification S.R.O.No.232 / 2020 has been published in Kerala Guest Extraordinary No. 964 dated march 20th. As per the notification, about 5.0644 hectares of land belonging to Eruthiyampathy and Kozhipathi villages in Chittoor taluk of Palakkad district is under the public interest as per Section 2 (I) biv of the Right to Restoration Act, fairness, transparency and rehabilitation.

I.(2) An area of ​5.0644 ha is being acquired for the project from Korayar to Varattayar.

1(3) The land part belongs to the dry land category and then to the wet land category. The main crops are coconut, flour and banana.

The details of the land to be acquired (Village, Survey Number, Block, Reserve Number, Type, Area) are given in paragraph I.3. (1) Of the Study Report.

1.(5)The canal expansion will nature agriculture and irrigation in the area. The implications of the project are that 72 landowners will have less land to acquire when they acquire land for the project and the loss of trees and crops on the land. Families will not have to be evicted for this project. The study committee estimates that about 600 trees will be lost when the project takes up land from 72 people.

1.(6) The study committee’s recommended that the mitigation measures be taken by providing adequate compensation and rehabilitation and rehabilitation package in accordance with the law and regulations relating to mitigation may be accepted. The Experts Committee recommends that the owners demand to acquire remaining small portion of unproductive land after acquiring land for the project. CHAPTER – 2

Paragraph 2 (1) of the Study Committee Report describes the background of the project, including the project administrator and control structure.

2 (2) In the paragraph it is shown that the expansion of the basin right canal is intended to increase the irrigation facility to 4475 ha of agricultural land. The free discharge of water is made possible by the construction of an elongated circular MS pipe with a diameter of 2.8 m. The plan is to increase irrigation facilities in the area and nearby villages which are facing water shortage. People are positive for this project. This is an area where there is a shortage of drinking water. The scheme will contribute to the socio-economic upliftment of the farmers. People have been waiting for this project for years. The scheme falls under the public interest as per Section 2 (I) biv of the Right to Land Acquisition, Transparency, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Government of Kerala Revenue (B) Department Forum (4) Notification S.R.O.No.232 / 2020, March 20, 2020, Kerala Guest Extraordinary No. 964 has been published by the Government of Kerala as a public interest in the Moolathara Right Canal Expansion Project.

According to the notification of paragraph 3 (2), the area required for the project is 5.0644 hector. The place is located in Eruthiampathy, Kozhipathi and villages of Chittoor taluk, Palakkad district. The details of the project are given in Chapter 2, Paragraph 3, and Study Report.

Since the canal is an expansion project, the alternatives are irrelevant. According to paragraph 2 (4) of the study committee's report, the Implementing officer said the project was likely to have minimal impact on landowners.

Paragraph 2 (5) describes the planning stages of the project and the study committee's intention is to complete the project in 3 years. Chapter 2 (6) of the Social Impact Assessment Report describes the design, size and facilities of the project. Paragraph 2 (7) stipulates that no ancillary facilities are required and that KIDC has the manpower required to implement the project under paragraph 2 (8). The details of the previous study are described in detail in paragraph 2 (9) and the rules and policies applicable to project land acquisition in paragraph 2 (10). CHAPTER - 3

Study Group, Learning Approach Planning

The area required for the project is approximately 5.0644 hectares. To conduct social impact assessment of the project as per Section (4) of the Right to Land Acquisition Reasonable Compensation, Transparency, Rehabilitation and Restoration Act. The study report also mentions that Rajagiri Outreach at Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, Kalamassery has been assigned as per S.R.O.No.232 / 2020 notification dated 20/03/2020 of the Revenue (B) Department. Details, including the educational qualifications of the study groups, are given in paragraph 3 (1) of the report. Chapter 3 (2) describes the planning and technology used for the study, the rationale for its use, and the manner in which the study was conducted. Paradigms 3 (3) and (4) of the study report outline the sample testing methodology used for the study and the analysis of the sources of information. Meetings with interested parties and information about public hearings are provided in paragraph 3 (5). The names and details of the participants in the public hearing held on 16.10.2020 at Eruthempathy Panchayat Hall and the reply of the concerned officer regarding the doubts and comments raised are given in detail in paragraph 3 (5) 2 of the study report.

The following are the comments and concerns raised by the project victims involved in the hearing.

1. Adequate compensation should be provided for acquired land.

2. Adequate irrigation facilities should be provided to the remaining agricultural land under the scheme.

3. If there is any piece of land left which is not useful to the landowners at the time of land acquisition, it should be acquired for the project. The expert committee recommends that the above demands and comments of the farmers are reasonable and should be taken into consideration when acquiring land for the project. The expert committee recommends that if the project obstructs access to any area or farmland, solutions should be found.

CHAPTER – 4 EVALUATION OF SPACE The project requires 5.0644 ha of land in Eruthiampathy and Kozhipathi villages of Chittoor taluk in Palakkad district. Most of this is homestead land. The study report gives a map of the project area. 72 landowners will lose land, and the overall impact will be loss of crops in the project area and loss of income from fruit trees. However, it is hoped that the project will improve the irrigation facilities in the area and improve the economic and environmental condition of the area. The project area is famous for its coconut, vegetable and grass crops. Availability of irrigation facilities will lead to the growth of agriculture. This is mentioned in paragraphs 4 (1) to (3) of the study report. According to paragraph (4) there are no public lands in the project area. No land has been leased or purchased for the project in the project area as per paragraph 4 (5). The 5.0644 hectares of land required for the project is included in Blocks 29,30,31 of Eruthiampathy Village in Chittoor Taluk and Block No. 31 in Kozhipathi Village and includes homestead, land and type. Paragraph 6 paragraphs 4 and 7 describe the ownership of the land affected by the impact, its use, information on irrigation and crops, the year of possession, the year of ownership and the method of holding. Paragraph 4 (9) of the study report mentions that no litigation has taken place in the project area for the last 3 years. The expert committee is of the view that this should be examined by the land acquisition officers. It is about families and property in the affected area. Chapter 5 paragraph (1) of the study report describes the list of direct and indirect impact families of the project without listing. Scheduled Caste families who lose their forest rights are not in the acquisition area. As shown in paragraph 5 (2). Paragraphs 5 (3) and 5 (4) of the study report state that public resources are not in the area due to the impact and that families who have received land through any scheme of the Central and State Governments are all in the project area. The study report also noted that households living in the area for three years or more were not involved in the acquisition and that land acquisition partially affected the livelihoods of 72 landowners as per Chapter 5 (5) Chapter 5 (6). Chapter 5 (6) 1 shows that there are no indirect impact victims in the project area. Chapter 5 (6) 2 details the trees in the area that will be lost due to the project. Chapter 6 of the study report describes the socio-economic and cultural background of the project area. Of these, 6 (1) are demographics, 6 (1) 2 are age, 6 (1) 3 are educational, 6 (1) 4 are marital and 6 (1) 5. Demographic and religious information. Project Affected Families, Income, Poverty, Education and Ration Card Information are included in this chapter. Information on vulnerable groups in the project area, livelihood and land use are studied in Chapter 6. The study committee report shows that there are no socio-cultural organizations, administrative organizations and political institutions in the project area. Chapter 6 also deals with community-based civic organizations and the historical evolution of the region and the quality of life of the people.

CHAPTER – 7 Chapter 7 of the study report deals with social impact control. Chapter 7 (1) describes the steps taken by the study team to assess social impact mitigation. Chapter 7 (2) of the Study Report states that the Right to Land Acquisition, Compensation, Rehabilitation and Resettlemen Act 2013 & Kerala Compensation under the Right to Fair Compensation, Transparency and Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Act 2015 on Land Acquisition can mitigate the impact of the victims. The expert committee also agrees with this opinion. Consequences can be mitigated by providing adequate compensation and a rehabilitation and resettlemen package in accordance with the above rules and regulations. The project should be planned in such a way that it does not obstruct the movement of people and vehicles during the implementation of the project. Proper disposal of waste should be ensured during the construction phase. The other recommendations recommended in Chapter 7 of the Study Report should be applied to mitigate the effects.

CHAPTER – 8 Chapter 8 also deals with the social impact mitigation plan institutional arrangements. The recommendations of the study committee can be adopted on what the institutional arrangements and designations for impact mitigation should be. Government Land Acquisition Special Tehsildar (LA General No. 1) has been appointed by the Government to acquire land for the project. Chapter 8 of the study report mentions the details of the district level committee and members and the state level monitoring committee for fair rehabilitation and resettlemen. Time Line for the Project The recommendation of the Study Committee Report that action should be taken in accordance with the schedule as per the Right to Restoration Act 2015 for fair compensation, transparency and rehabilitation in Kerala land acquisition can be accepted. Chapter 9 of the study report deals with the budget for dealing with social impact and economic measures. Chapter 10 describes the supervision and evaluation of the social impact mitigation plan. Chapter 11 of the study report concludes with an analysis of the pros and cons of the project and the submission of recommendations. 11 (1) This paragraph contains the final conclusion regarding the minimum space required for general displacement and the minimum space required for impact mitigation planning. As a result of the project, 72 landowners in Eruthiyampathi and Kozhipathi villages in Chittoor taluk will have less land in their possession. This is the main impact of the project. However, with the expansion of the Moolathara right canal in Chittoor taluk, the irrigation facilities in the area will be enhanced. This will increase agricultural production, increase water availability and improve the living standards of the people. Therefore, this project is in the public interest and has more advantages than disadvantages. The expert committee therefore concludes that the project is worthy of implementation. The Committee of Experts is of the view that the following recommendations of the Committee of Experts should be taken into consideration while implementing the project. 1. Compensation under the Right to Restoration Act for fair compensation, transparency and rehabilitation in land acquisition & Compensation under the Land Acquisition Reconstruction and Rehabilitation and Restoration Act 2015 Reimbursement Scheme Affected Landlords.

2. Rehabilitation as per relevant law - Provide rehabilitation package.

3. Take steps to ensure that access to homes, and traffic are not disrupted

4. Ensure scientific disposal of waste.

5. Take steps to ensure that access to the farm is not obstructed.

6. When acquiring land for the project, the demand of the landowners should be taken into consideration if there is any remaining piece of land which is not useful to the landowners.

The Expert Committee submits its report with the recommendations described above.

S. Abdul Rahiman (Chairman, SIA Study ) Expert Committee Members

1. Shri. M. Sareena (Social Scientist)

2. Shri. Raj Ponraj (President, Eruthiyampathi Grama Panchayat)

3. Shri. Ramesh. R

4. Shri. U Narayanankutty, (Retd Deputy Collector, Palakkad;)

5. Shri. P.P Jayarajan, (Retd Deputy Collector, Palakkad; )

6. Shri. Sudheerkumar , (Assitant Executive Engineer, RBC, Sub Division Kozhinjapara)