T’puram: A marshy stretch of govt land in Thalassery, officially recorded as wetland and long tied to public drinking water infrastructure, was leased out to a private memorial society named after ex-CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan for 30 years, a decision that was publicly announced on Jan 14. However, internal govt records and Cabinet notes accessed show that the approval was granted after overriding a series of serious legal, environmental and procedural objections raised by multiple departments, raising fresh questions about legality, public interest and environmental safeguards.The govt order issued on Jan 19, formalised the Cabinet decision taken on Jan 14, approving the lease of 1.139 acres (0.4613 hectares) of land in Ward 2 of Thalassery municipality to Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Memorial Academy of Social Sciences (KBMASS) for setting up a research centre at a nominal lease rent of Rs 100/year. While the post-Cabinet press note and subsequent media reports presented the move as a routine allotment for a public-purpose institution, the official file reveals that the land is govt puramboke vested with Kerala Water Authority (KWA), traversed by a permanent water channel—facts that triggered sustained objections within govt but were not disclosed publicly. The revenue documents state that a stream passes through 0.044 hectares of the site, and the land earlier housed a KWA office, a pump house and water storage facilities built as part of Thalassery drinking water expansion project. The land revenue commissioner’s report notes that the land lies barely 100m from Thalassery–Kannur NH and immediately east of KSRTC bus stand, underlining its strategic and public utility value. The local self-govt department categorically objected, stating in its note that water channels are ‘inviolable’ and cannot be assigned to private entities. The law department, citing Supreme Court rulings, warned that even if a water body appears dry, it cannot be alienated or fragmented, and pointed out that no denotification was issued under Kerala Municipality Act to transfer vesting rights away from the municipality. These objections are explicitly listed among the references to the final order but were not reflected in the outcome. KWA, too, raised concerns, informing govt that the land was required for its operational needs and that water storage structures and pump houses constructed for Thalassery drinking water augmentation scheme were in the vicinity. One of the sharpest red flags in the file relates to valuation and public loss. Since the land is govt puramboke, no official fair value exists. However, using comparable private land in the neighbouring survey block, officials assessed the land value at Rs 11,61,600 per acre, placing the total value of the 0.4613 hectares at Rs 5.35 crore. The order itself records this figure. The justification for invoking special powers under Rule 21(ii) of 1995 Land Assignment Rules—meant to be used only in cases of overriding public interest—was questioned internally. The law department noted that leasing wetland and water body-linked land to a private charitable society, even one proposing academic activity, does not automatically qualify as overriding public interest, especially when weighed against drinking water requirements and future urban needs. Revenue secretary suggested exploring alternative sites, but the proposal proceeded without such an exercise. The decision drew sharp criticism from environmental voices, who see an unsettling political continuity rather than an aberration. Noted environmentalist Sridhar Radhakrishnan said, “This is no different from what happened during the final phase of Oommen Chandy govt, when wetlands were indiscriminately filled up and cleared for projects—decisions that even the Left parties described as reckless,” he said. “What is striking is that the same opposition, after coming to power, appointed committees to reverse those decisions. Today, however, govt’s actions are not even marginally different from what it once attacked so fiercely,” he added.
