Thiruvananthapuram: The request by the Directorate of Industries and Commerce to give relaxations in the Land Reform Laws that allow enterprises to occupy more than 15 acres of land was ruled out.

The Revenue Protection Act had earlier been amended by the government, including provisions for 20 job opportunities and an investment of Rs 10 crore for every acre of land exceeding 15 acres.

The applications for this were considered after the inspection of a committee headed by the Collector.

The application should be forwarded to the government along with the inspection report of the officer-level committee. The final exemption is allowed only after the examination of the state-level committee headed by the Revenue Minister. 

The Directorate of Industries and Commerce had demanded that these procedures be simplified. The Department of Revenue rejected this demand, stating that simplifying the procedures would destroy the essence of the Land Reforms Act.

The Directorate of Industries and Commerce even raised this demand in the meeting chaired by the Chief Minister.

Since the Department of Revenue didn't compromise, it was decided to continue the existing procedures. The Revenue Minister clarified in the meeting that instructions will be given to avoid delaying the procedures on technical grounds.