Government wants Suzlon to share profits

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Wednesday decided not to evict wind energy-major Suzlon Energy Ltd from the tribal lands of Attappady. Instead, the government has, in principle, approved a scheme whereby the tribesmen will share the profits from power generation with the company. Chandy emphasised that the ownership of the land would remain with the tribals, and promised action if indeed it turned out that the company had engaged in fraud to encroach on their the land. The Idukki District Collector has been instructed to report within three months on the actual area of land in Suzlon’s possession and the extent of encroachment.The profit-sharing scheme will be finalised only after the report is submitted, he said, briefing the media after discussions with Suzlon officials and representatives of the tribesmen.Suzlon possesses 645 acres in three villages in this region. Confusion exists over the actual extent of land in the possession of Suzlon in Kottathara village. The tribesmen claim that the company has encroached between 124 and 180 acres, while company documents puts the area at 85.21 acres.Chandy said it was up to Suzlon to prove its point. The documents presented by the company at Wednesday’s meeting were not credible enough, he said. In the event of continued doubt regarding the land, the benefit of doubt would be given to the tribesmen, the Chief Minister said.  The government was also toying with a proposal to encourage tribesmen to take up farming on the wind farm, he said.“If the tribesmen say they want the land back, the government will do it. If they say they want a profit-sharing scheme, the government will acquiesce. We are with the tribesmen,’’ Chandy said. A Chief Secretary-led committee that investigated the Attappadi land scam had demanded strong action against Suzlon and recommended the government to dismantle the windmills and related structures from the land.The committee had recommended action against the company under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1985, and the Kerala Restoration of Land to Scheduled Tribes Act, 1999.