Attempts on to resolve Pariyathukavu land dispute, says Minister Roji M. John
Amid reports of a setback to the attempts to resolve the Pariyathukavu land dispute, Minister for Higher Education Roji M. John on Saturday (June 13
Amid reports of a setback to the attempts to resolve the Pariyathukavu land dispute, Minister for Higher Education Roji M. John on Saturday (June 13, 2026) said that the government was going ahead with the efforts to make a consensus among the parties involved in the matter. The Minister said the government would go to any extent to resolve the dispute amicably and attempts were on to settle the matter before June 16 when the extended deadline given by the High Court to resolve the crisis ends. His comments come amid reports that the late Kannattu Sankaran Nair’s family, who has won, through multiple court orders, ownership rights over the 2.69 acres of land at Pariyathukavu where seven Dalit families have been residing for decades, was not in favour of a proposal made by the government to end the crisis.
The government had on June 5 requested the heirs of Nair to consider giving away five cents of land each to the seven families. Though both the parties were given time to discuss the proposal and make a decision, no further talks have taken place yet. Though the minister was scheduled to hold talks with both the parties at the district collector’s chamber on Friday night, it was postponed at the last minute. Official sources said the meeting was cancelled ‘due to personal inconvenience of the Kannattu family.” The Pariyathukavu residents have come out against the last-minute cancellation of the meeting alleging that the government was supporting the claimant family and ignoring their plight.
Responding to the allegation, the minister termed it an emotional reaction. “The Pariyathukavu land dispute has been on for decades and this is the first time any government has stepped into find an amicable solution. We know that it was not possible to find a solution overnight to such a prolonged dispute,” he said, calling for compromises from both sides. The Pariyathukavu action council, supported by the CPI(M), meanwhile said that it suspected a “bureaucracy-land mafia nexus” behind the Kannattu family’s move to back off the compromise talks. “The government should find a solution immediately. The residents including children lice in the settlement fearing police action anytime.
It has affected their education and social life. The government should take steps immediately to lift their confidence,” the action council said in a statement on Saturday.
The BriefWire