Land to be handed over in 3 months

PALAKKAD: The acquisition of 500 acres identified for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus will begin on Monday.
District collector P Marykutty said the land would be handed over to IIT authorities within the stipulated three months. The extra ordinary gazette notification under Schedule 6(1) of the Survey and Boundary Act for the acquisition of 500 acres in Pudussery West village in Kanjikode was issued by the government on Thursday.
A 50-member team, headed by special tehsildar for land acquisition, will begin the survey and fixing of boundary on Monday. Of this, 366.39 acres are private land, which will be purchased through negotiations, the collector said, adding that she had sent a request to the higher education department to release Rs 165 crore, the expected market price.
Of the remaining area, 70.02 acres are revenue land, taken back from Instrumentation Ltd earlier. There is also 43 acres of vested forest, for which the forest department has been moved by promising to afforest double the area.