Land title of tribal chieftain Chemban Kolumban’s granddaughter revoked

Idukki: More than a century after tribal chieftain Chemban Kolumban helped officials identify the site for the Idukki Dam, his family now alleges that a land title (patta) granted to his granddaughter in 2020 has been cancelled without prior notice.The patta for 60 cents of ancestral land was issued in the name of Sudha Rajappan, daughter of Thenan Bhaskaran. The family alleged that the title was revoked citing the existence of a public pathway through the property, intended to provide access to three neighbouring houses. According to the family, the official land sketch attached to the patta marked only a public road in front of the property and did not show any pathway passing through it. They maintained that while they had permitted neighbours to walk along one side of the land, it was never designated as a public pathway. The family further alleged that in 2022, officials of Vazhathope grama panchayat attempted to construct a road through the property without consent. The move was reportedly halted after it was pointed out that the land was patta land and no such pathway was recorded in official documents. They claimed that at the time, officials had warned that the patta would be cancelled if the land was not surrendered. With a new governing council assuming office this year, authorities again approached the family seeking land for the pathway. Despite their refusal, construction materials were allegedly brought to the site and work began without permission. The family said they later learned that the patta had been cancelled, but no copy of the cancellation order or explanation has been provided. Sudha Rajappan stated that no reason for the cancellation has been formally communicated to them. Vazhathope grama panchayat president Ancy Thomas said a detailed inquiry would be conducted into the issue. From forest path to dam siteHistorical records indicate that Chemban Kolumban, an Adivasi elder from the Oorali community, played a key role in identifying the site for the construction of the Idukki Dam in 1922. Kolumban guided European engineers through a narrow mountain pass in Idukki, helping them reach the gorge between the Kuravan and Kurathi hills that would later be selected for the dam. His deep knowledge of the region's terrain and the river's course proved crucial in the early stages of the project. His intervention is widely regarded as a turning point that paved the way for the construction of the dam, which later emerged as one of the highest arch dams in Asia. The state govt has installed a statue and memorial in Idukki and included a chapter on his life in the Class V textbook.