Malayidamthuruth row: govt. urges claimant to give away portion of disputed land to Dalit residents

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The Kerala government has proposed an out-of-the-court settlement to resolve the impasse over the Pariyathukavu land dispute in which seven Dalit families face eviction. As part of the proposed settlement, the government has requested the family of the late Kannatt Sankaran Nair, who has won favourable court verdicts over his ownership claim over the land where the families reside, to consider giving away five cents of land each to the families within the disputed 2.69-acre property at Pariyathukavu, Malayidamthuruth near Kizhakkambalam.

Higher Education Minister Roji M. John said the government was hoping to resolve the matter before June 16, the latest deadline fixed by the Kerala High Court to settle the issue.

"Once the heirs of Nair agree to the proposal, the government will provide the families with houses and all required facilities including road," Mr. John, who has been deputed by the government to lead the deliberations over the matter, said here on Friday (June 5, 2025). The Minister was speaking to media after holding a discussion with the stakeholders at the collectorate. The talks involving representatives of the affected families and the Pariyathukavu action council, Nair's kin, Kunnathunad MLA V.P. Sajeendranand district officials lasted for around three hours.

"We hope we can settle the matter out of court. Multiple options were proposed at the meeting and both the parties have expressed their concerns and demands. Once the government's proposal is approved by both the parties, we will inform the court and we hope the court will approve it," the Minister said.

The Minister said during the deliberations, the affected families demanded that they be allowed to stay in the same land they occupy now while Nair's heir proposed to provide them with an alternative property somewhere else within Vazhakulam village. The government proposes its suggestion as both the parties did not agree with each other's proposals.

The Minister said both the parties have been told to