Land conversion: Files pile up in Kerala as IAS officers worry about aftermath of decisions

Kozhikode: A review meeting held by Kerala Revenue Minister K Rajan on Friday observed that land conversion files in the state are accumulating due to recent reforms that have assigned IAS officers to handle these cases instead of the Revenue Department officials.

The minister convened the meeting to clarify how many files each officer has reviewed, how many have been resolved, how many have been referred for investigation, and how many remain untouched. He noted that despite the additional responsibilities, files must be processed in a timely manner.

Previously, Revenue Divisional Officers (RDOs) managed 19 positions in the state related to land conversion. With the recent reforms, IAS officers have been given new responsibilities. This has apparently led to concerns among the sub-collectors appointed to these posts about the implications of their decisions. 

Three main issues came to the limelight:

• IAS officers worry any lapses in handling land conversion files could lead to vigilance investigations, potentially hindering career advancement. 
• Junior civil service officers are struggling to review and resolve the files swiftly and accurately.
• Officers transferred due to election duties or other reasons might delay taking on new responsibilities, as they may anticipate returning to their previous roles soon.

The accumulation of files is most evident in urban areas. The Revenue Department has observed that certain entities are exerting pressure on officials regarding these files.